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10:48, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Posted by The StrayFor group 0
The Stray
GM, 1752 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Sat 22 Oct 2016
at 17:59
  • msg #1

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

October 31st, 1877. Sundown. Socorro, Texas, CSA

Calling Socorro a "one horse town" was being rather generous, as the horse was more like a blind mule. It was dry, dusty, and brown, particularly in autumn. It's just a hop, skip, and a jump away from El Paso and Jaurez, which means that nobody actually stays here when they're passin' through. The Bayou Vermillion line didn't even have a regular stop here, just a platform that the trains only occasionally pause at.

Of course, that means the folk who do stop here usually don't like scrutiny...

Trace Hargrave was having a drink at the local watering hole, the Feral Dog. There was a dogfight on tonight down in the basement...he could hear the snarling and snapping from here. Wasn't no nevermind to him, though. He was in this speck of a town because Earl Johnson, a local rancher, was having rustler troubles and needed a good sharpshooter. Right now he was off the clock.

Katy Cox was at the Feral Dog here on business. Baltasar Leroux, once a big man in Bayou Vermillion, had skipped out on his employer...along with a barrel of a mysterious fluid. This stuff (supposedly) could raise the dead. Leroux was being hunted by Bayou Vermillion...but the Rangers wanted to get to him first. To offer him protection or, failing that, get that barrel out of hands where it might do damage.

((OOC: And that's the set-up! have at it.))
Trace Hargrave
player, 5 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1 R2 B0
Sun 23 Oct 2016
at 19:21
  • msg #2

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Every time Hargrave stopped in a saloon such as this, his thoughts always drifted to home. Summer always brought blackberries in the valley, which led to the making of blackberry mead. Since coming to these shores, everything he'd drunk had paled in comparison to that bewitching elixir. For now, until his drifting came to an end, beer would have to suffice.

He'd found a corner table that provided him with a clear view of the room. As was his habit, he'd brought his rifle with him, the lone possession he always made certain he had close at hand. He'd left it in its boot, propping it against the wall beside his chair in easy reach. Sipping his beer, he surveyed the room, taking in the gathered patrons, mostly ranch hands and drifters like himself, travelers passing through to El Paso. Despite old man Johnson letting him off guard duty for the night, he couldn't resist listening in to the to the talk in the bar, alert to any bragging that cattle thieves were occasionally prone to when the whiskey took hold of them.

Returning his attention to his beer, he took another sip, his thoughts drifting briefly to Roswell, the next town he meant to travel to when the job here was done. He was already feeling restless, ready to move on. Pushing those feelings aside, he resolved to focus on the present, remaining attentive to his surroundings, while doing his best to appear concerned only with his own affairs.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 60 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R3B1L0
Mon 24 Oct 2016
at 17:01
  • msg #3

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy looked around at the buildings on Main Street as she rode into town, trail dust turning her black duster into more of a gray duster. Her black sombrero kept her face shaded, and she had bundled most of her hair up underneath it for the ride as well. A few locks that had escaped her pins tumbled down toward her back. Her boots were also a dusty gray, though they were obviously supposed to be black as well. That wouldn't happen until after she'd had a chance to settle in.

With practiced ease, the ranger slipped out of her saddle and tied Isabelle to an available hitching post near to the Feral Dog. And now it was a one-horse town.

Katy looked up at the saloon and smiled to herself. West Texas sure wasn't so much like Austin. At least the man she was looking for ought to stick out a bit here. Or so she hoped.

With that thought in mind, Katy entered the Feral Dog and looked around for the man behind the bar. She may be on the job, but she was quite thirsty. She ordered whatever passed for ale or beer in this place and then looked around at the interior of the saloon, looking for a seat if nothing else.
Barkeep
Mon 24 Oct 2016
at 20:10
  • msg #4

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4SdmIhsO0k">some mood music</a>

The barkeep, a big man with muttonchop whiskers and a burning cigar, looked up at Katy as she entered the saloon. He wasn't particularly chatty as he slid a beer her way.

The only open seat seemed to be back in the corner. There was a fellow at the table, carrying a huge rifle. Looked like it could take down a herd of buffalo.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:26, Mon 24 Oct 2016.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 61 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R3B1L0
Mon 24 Oct 2016
at 23:54
  • msg #5

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy tapped the bottom of the brim of her hat with her right forefinger. "Much obliged."

When her eyes settled on the empty seat, Katy didn't waste any time moving toward it, though she looked at the fellow that was already at the table. "Howdy. If that seat ain't taken, ya mind if I use it?" Katy gave him a tired smile and gestured toward open seat with her left hand as her right was busy holding the beer she had acquired.
Trace Hargrave
player, 6 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1 R2 B0
Tue 25 Oct 2016
at 03:33
  • msg #6

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

"Not at all," he said with a nod and a smile, the weariness of a long day's watch allowing a trace of his accent to creep through. As the dark clad rider took her seat, Hargrave regarded her with unconcealed curiosity. She wasn't familiar to him and something in her calm demeanor, the casual confidence of her movements, set her apart from most who drifted through.

He sipped his beer and said, "If I might ask, what brings you to Socorro? You're not with one of the local cattle outfits. Passing through on the way to El Paso?"
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 62 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R3B1L0
Tue 25 Oct 2016
at 23:02
  • msg #7

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy smiled and nodded at the Trace. "Thanks, been a long day." Katy set her beer down and used a hand to be certain her skirt was in a satisfactory position as she sat down. When the front of her duster opened a little at the movement, Trace would be able to see a Peacemaker holstered on her hip, the light-colored handle contrasting with the black of her garb.

She took a drink of her beer as Trace asked his question, and she leaned forward a little toward him, pushing the brim of her black sombrero up a little as she did. She spoke relatively quietly to him. "Lookin' fer someone here, not El Paso. Or at least I will be once I take little break from ridin'. I ain't with one of the local cattle outfits, no." She sat back a little and pushed the brim of her hat down slightly, pretty much to the same place as when she'd entered.

"How 'bout you? Been in Socorro long?"
Trace Hargrave
player, 7 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1 R2 B0
Wed 26 Oct 2016
at 15:02
  • msg #8

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

He shook his head. "Not long, ma'am. Little over two weeks. I was passing through here, on my way to Roswell. Ended up staying when some work presented itself. Earl Johnson, one of the local ranchers, has been having some trouble with rustlers. Needed someone to watch over his herd."

Hargrave had caught sight of the pearl handled pistol on the rider's belt. The only sorts he'd known that carried a weapon that fancy were either young fools destined for an early grave or the wolves among sheep who handled a gun like it was second nature. He felt quite certain that she was one of the latter.

He extended a gloved hand. "Trace Hargrave, ma'am," he said, "Any chance you could tell me who you're looking for?" Instinct prompted his next words. "I promise, I'm no bounty hunter. But I might have heard talk of the person you're seeking, or even laid eyes on them myself."
The Stray
GM, 1765 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Wed 26 Oct 2016
at 15:45
  • msg #9

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Don't mind me, just doing some PMing...

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 64 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R3B1L0
Wed 26 Oct 2016
at 16:04
  • msg #10

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))



Katy nodded. "Has he now? Cattle rustlers are also in my line of work. Could be I could give ya a hand while I'm in town." She took the offered hand and shook it. "Katy Cox."

She took another drink of her beer, then leaned forward again. "Fella I'm lookin' fer is a cajun. Names Laroo. Baltasar Laroo. Seen anyone around like that or heard of such a fella? Prolly talks like he's straight outta the Bayou."
The Stray
GM, 1766 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Wed 26 Oct 2016
at 16:14
  • msg #11

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

PM
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:16, Wed 26 Oct 2016.
Trace Hargrave
player, 8 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1 R2 B0
Thu 27 Oct 2016
at 00:39
  • msg #12

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

"I'd certainly appreciate the help," Hargrave answered, wondering what, precisely, Cox's line of work might be.

He nodded in response to her description. Keeping his voice low, he said, "The cajun. He stands out a bit. Yes, he's been around Socorro the last couple of days. He was just here in the saloon, maybe an hour ago. The word is he's trying to complete a business deal of some kind. I don't know who with."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 01:00, Thu 27 Oct 2016.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 66 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R3B1L0
Thu 27 Oct 2016
at 03:50
  • msg #13

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy nodded at his response. "Then help you'll get. I gotta particular distaste for cattle rustlers. Worked on a ranch for too many years, ya know?"

Katy raised an eyebrow at Trace's response about the cajun, then tilted her head a little to the side. "An hour ago, eh? Don't suppose he was talkin' ta any of the folks in here? I might wanna get a piece o' that business he's tryin' ta deal."
Trace Hargrave
player, 9 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1 R2 B0
Fri 28 Oct 2016
at 02:55
  • msg #14

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

PM
The Stray
GM, 1780 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Fri 28 Oct 2016
at 03:10
  • msg #15

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

PM
Trace Hargrave
player, 10 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1 R2 B0
Fri 28 Oct 2016
at 04:01
  • msg #16

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave's eyes shifted to the bartender. "The only person I recall Leroux speaking with is the barkeep," he said, "And he didn't seem too pleasantly disposed after the conversation."

He stood and ventured over to the bar, rifle in hand, seemingly unwilling to leave the weapon out of reach, even for a brief moment. He ordered a pair of beers, then said, "Might I ask you something? The cajun that was here earlier in the evening, who's been hanging around town the last few days. Do you know who he was meeting with here, or where he might be found?" He nodded toward the table. "The lady has an interest in the business he's conducting."
Everyone calls him Barkeep
Fri 28 Oct 2016
at 04:43
  • msg #17

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The barkeep frowns. "You mean the darkie? He weren't into any good business, that's for sure. 'Specially not one for a woman to get mixed up in. He been pushing some hogwash about sellin' 'the secret to Bayou Vermillion's tireless workforce' or somesuch." he nods his head, presumably in the direction of the rail line that passes through town. "Ain't good to bite the hand that feeds ya, know what I mean? Anyhow, she's too late. He was in here checkin' on if anyone had bit his line." He waves at the back of the bar, which has some cubbyholes with the occasional letter stuck in it. Socorro is too small to have its own post office, so folks rented cubbyholes at the Feral Dog to receive mail. Generally, these were messages that folk didn't want scrutinized too closely. "Seems like someone did. He sure left in an all-fired hurry, leastways. Brightboy owes me a $10 tab."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 04:43, Fri 28 Oct 2016.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 69 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R3B1L0
Fri 28 Oct 2016
at 05:18
  • msg #18

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy's eyes followed Trace as he moved toward the barkeep, first with a bit of surprise, then the slightest of smiles of appreciation. Sometimes a woman, even one as independent as Katy, liked to have a man provide such assistance. She watched, listened, and had a couple sips of her beer while Trace spoke with the barkeep. She waited quietly for him to return.
Trace Hargrave
player, 11 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1 R2 B0
Sat 29 Oct 2016
at 05:14
  • msg #19

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Bayou Vermillion. They hadn't been the worst of Union Blue's enemies back in Colorado, but they certainly weren't friends. This Leroux sounded like he'd cut ties with the rail company and now was looking to sell their trade secrets to the highest bidder. The question was, what precisely was the man offering? Although Hargrave had made a habit of keeping to his own affairs since putting Denver behind him, he couldn't deny that the cajun's activities had tugged at his curiosity.

Drumming his fingertips on the bar, he said, "I'll pay half the man's tab if you can recall who he might've been hurrying off to meet. And where."
Everyone calls him Barkeep
Sat 29 Oct 2016
at 05:36
  • msg #20

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The barkeep shrugs. "Well, I don't know who...the letter came in today's mail shipment and the return address was listed as 'From Hell's Heart.' Cute touch, that. But I do recollect the darkie sayin' somethin' about a graveyard after readin' it. Only graveyard I know of 'round here is behind the old Mission."
Trace Hargrave
player, 12 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1 R2 B0
Sat 29 Oct 2016
at 18:11
  • msg #21

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave smiled as he passed the money to the bartender. "I appreciate it."

Returning to the table, he set one glass of beer in front of Cox, then took a sip of the other. "It sounds like Leroux is planning to meet a buyer in a graveyard of all places. The barkeep was right. The only cemetery nearby is behind an old mission, not too far from here."

He shook his head. "Interesting company this fellow must keep. Whoever sent the message gave their address as 'From Hell's Heart'."
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 72 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R3B1L0
Sat 29 Oct 2016
at 22:15
  • msg #22

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy looked around the saloon for a moment while Trace spoke with the barkeep, but her attention was back on her new acquaintance as he returned to the table. She looked down at the fresh beer with a smile. "Well, thank you! Mighty nice of ya." She drained what remained of her original drink and set the empty aside.

She smiled at the news Trace brought back. "And thanks fer trackin' the whereabouts of Laroo down. Though it seemed like it mighta cost ya somethin', an expense I would be more'n happy ta reimburse." Katy's face clouded a bit at the mention of Hell's Heart. She considered it quietly for a moment of two, then shook her head. "Hell's Heart - that don't make sense ta me. At least not in any sorta useful way." She leaned back in her chair and considered for a few more moments, then shrugged.

"So what kinda hours ya keepin' with Mister Johnson? I fancy a trip ta the graveyard in the not-too-distant future, but I wouldn't mind havin' someone come with me." She raised a finger. "Fair warning, this prolly won't be much like other evenin' trips ya may have taken ta a secluded graveyard with a lady friend." Katy smiled for a moment before returning to the subject of Trace's employer. "And I will certainly help ya with yer cattle rustlers as well."
The Stray
GM, 1787 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Sat 29 Oct 2016
at 22:29
  • msg #23

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: If you want to try and make sense of Hell's Heart, you might make me a Common Knowledge roll.))
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 75 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R3B1L0
Sat 29 Oct 2016
at 22:34
  • msg #24

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

A lightbulb blooms above Katy's head.

15:33, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 2,17 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+6+5)17.  Common Knowledge.
The Stray
GM, 1788 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Sat 29 Oct 2016
at 22:45
  • msg #25

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy remembers a line from a dime novel she'd read once...the main villain (a vicious cowboy named Abraham) was stalking the hero because he thought the hero had killed his brother. The villainous Abraham was fond of quoting from Moby-Dick. During the final showdown, he said the following:

"To the last, I grapple with thee! From Hell's heart, I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!"

Then came the shootout, and in the end both men were dead. It wasn't a particularly happy ending, as dime novels went.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 76 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R3B1L0
Sat 29 Oct 2016
at 23:14
  • msg #26

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy suddenly snapped her fingers and wagged her right index finger in the general direction of Trace. "Hell's Heart - it's from Moby Dick. Though I ain't read that book, only another dime novel where the bad fella quoted Moby Dick all the time. To the last, I grapple with thee! From Hell's heart, I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee! Course that don't zactly solve what the sender of that message meant by it. Seems like some kinda vengeance language, though."
Trace Hargrave
player, 14 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1 R2 B0
Sun 30 Oct 2016
at 07:35
  • msg #27

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave waved off the offer of reimbursement. "Johnson's paying me well. And if I have your help in keeping his herds intact, we'll be more than even."

He grinned at Cox's comments about the visit to the graveyard. "Johnson's herd is large. The group I'm hunting are a touch on the bold side. They're mostly trying to collect stragglers, small bunches of steers that have wandered from the main herd. And they work in daylight. He won't begrudge me leaving during the nighttime hours."

"The bartender mentioned that Leroux was trying to sell information he gained from Bayou Vermillion. Something about their workforce. I just wonder what about that would appeal to to someone that was hungry to exact revenge of some kind."
He shook his head. "I suppose you'll find those answers once you catch up to him."

"The bartender said that Leroux rushed off once he'd read the letter. Do you think his meeting might be taking place tonight?"

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 80 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R3B1L0
Sun 30 Oct 2016
at 13:51
  • msg #28

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy listened to what Trace related with nods of appreciation and understanding. "If he rushed off, then yeah, he prolly has a meetin' tonight. And we should try ta get ta him first 'fore he does somethin' stupid. Laroo was purty high up at Bayou Vermillion 'fore he left. Ain't sure of who his business might be with, but I s'pose we can find out if we play our cards right."

She took a long pull from her drink and then set it down. "So as soon as we're done with this round, we prolly oughta head out. Course I got half a mind ta put an end ta that dog fightin' goin' on downstairs, though that may be somethin' fer another time."

Katy tipped her head a little to the side after taking another drink. "So where ya from, originally?"
Trace Hargrave
player, 16 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1 R2 B0
Sun 30 Oct 2016
at 19:14
  • msg #29

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave sipped his beer, his eyes briefly distant. "England," he said, after a pause. "I was raised in the midwest, in a place called the Severn Valley, just on the edge of Wyre Forest. Rolling hills and deep woods. I miss it. A lot of that country is quite beautiful. My family...well, let's just say they'd lived on that land for well over a century."

"My brother and sister and I, we came here after our father passed. Settled in Colorado. Tried to make a go of it there."


He managed a smile. "It didn't work out so well."

"But how about you? Where do you come from?"

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 83 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R3B1L0
Sun 30 Oct 2016
at 20:42
  • msg #30

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy's face registered some surprise when Trace said he was originally from England. "Didn't think ya were from that far away. Sounds purty the way ya describe. 'Specially if ya like hilly greens rather'n brown shades and flat land. Though I hear Colorado's nice as well."

She gestured vaguely toward the east. "I'm from San Antonio, or near enough to. Family owned a small ranch outside town. Parta the reason why cattle rustlers really chap my hide."

Katy took a quick sip and sat back a little. "How're yer brother and sister gettin' on now?"
Trace Hargrave
player, 17 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1 R2 B0
Sun 30 Oct 2016
at 23:43
  • msg #31

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave shook his head and took another drink. "My sister Sibley...let's just say she has a bad case of wanderlust. Not long after we reached Colorado, she took off during the night. She wanted to see the cities, experience life away from the country."

He frowned, his gaze falling to the table. "I don't know where she is. Part of the reason I've been drifting myself is because I've been hoping to find her. When I was in Dallas not long ago, I caught word about a traveling show that had been through there. One of the performers was an English girl with a beautiful singing voice. Sibley has such a voice. I found out they were headed toward New Mexico. Roswell. It's a hunch, of course, but..." His words trailed off.

"My brother died, about a year and a half ago."

"So, Texas is your home,"
he said, finding a smile, "I've never set foot in San Antonio, though I've heard many say it's an exciting town. Do you still have family near there?"
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 85 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W6R3B1L0
Mon 31 Oct 2016
at 13:32
  • msg #32

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy nodded slightly with each bit of information Trace passed on about his siblings, her attention on him alone. "I'm very sorry to hear about yer brother. Can't be easy ta lose family in a foreign land like this. An English lady with a beautiful singin' voice named Sibley... I'll certainly be keepin' an eye out fer her from now on. Might know a few other folk that can help look out fer her, too. Though I gotta ask what ya plan ta do when ya catch up ta her?" Katy fixed Trace with a no-nonsense sort of look for a few moments after the question.

"As for my family, I got lots in San Antonio still. Ma and pa are gettin' up in years, but like you I gotta brother n' sister. Both of 'em were still in San Antonio last I checked. I've also got four nieces and three nephews. Pa's brother does the same sorta work I do, so I see him often enough as well." She smiled a little talking about her family, though it was a brief smile. She didn't want Trace to feel bad about his family situation by comparison.
Trace Hargrave
player, 19 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R2 B0
Mon 31 Oct 2016
at 22:35
  • msg #33

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave smiled at Cox's question. "You mean like tie her up and haul her off to work on the farm?" Still grinning, he shook his head. "I wouldn't do anything of the kind. I want her to lead the kind of life that she wants. That makes her happy. Our older brother Rand...please understand, he was a good man. He worked hard and wanted to be sure that his family was provided for. But he only knew one way to live. Sometimes, he wasn't so good at listening to what others had to say. Accepting new ideas. I think that's why Sibley left the way she did. She believed he wouldn't hear her."

"I just want to know where she is. That she's safe. Maybe see if there's somewhere I could send letters to. Her home, or perhaps someone she knows well if she travels often."
He took another drink of his beer. "A way to stay connected, if she's open to it. She's the only family I have left."

He set his glass down. "I'm glad you have a large family. It's good to have people who care for you, who will keep the door open for you, so to speak." He chuckled. "Even if you can't always see eye to eye. Especially brothers and sisters. I know I drove Rand to drink, on at least two or three occasions."

"So you grew up on a ranch. But now you're in the same profession as your uncle."
He glanced at the bar for a moment before returning his attention to her. "If I could ask, Miss Cox, this Mssr. Leroux. Why are you trying to find him?"
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 86 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W6R3B1L0
Mon 31 Oct 2016
at 22:50
  • msg #34

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy reflected Trace's grin, and some degree of relief was apparent on her face at his response. "Zactly what I was wonderin', yeah." The grin faded a little at Trace's mention of his deceased brother, but she nodded her understanding of the situation. "Well, I belong to a group that sorta has eyes and ears all over the C.S.A. And beyond. Might be those eyes and ears could help locate her for ya. But I'd only ask 'em fer help if yer not gonna, er, impede her livin' the sorta life she wants ta lead. Which sounds like the case, Mister Hargrave."

When he spoke about his brother and drinking, she looked down at her beer and took another swig. "I'll blame my uncle for driving me ta drink. On every occasion that I do." She looked back up at Trace. "Nieces and nephews sure bring a smile to my face, no matter the occasion."

She sat back at his last question and pushed the brim of her hat a little higher on her head with her forefinger. "Laroo ain't just sellin' information." She took a last draw at her beer and set the glass down before pointing to Trace's drink. "Finish up, cowboy, and I'll tell ya more outside." She smiled a little at that. "I guess in this case, someone's drivin' you ta drink."
Trace Hargrave
player, 20 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R2 B0
Tue 1 Nov 2016
at 15:17
  • msg #35

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

"If you could help me find her, I'd be in your debt," Hargrave said. An understatement, he knew. It was something on the level of weregeld. Knowing that Sibley was safe and well...such knowledge was beyond price to him. There would be no way he could adequately repay her, to rebalance the scales.

He smiled gently at Cox's mention of nieces and nephews. He'd actually come close to being an uncle, but for the railroad.

Grinning at her joke, he finished his beer in a long swallow. Picking up his rifle, he gave the bartender a nod and followed Cox outside.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 87 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W6R3B1L0
Tue 1 Nov 2016
at 17:03
  • msg #36

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy nodded at the concept of debt, though it wasn't something she would ever want to collect. "If I can help good folk in any way I can, well, that's sorta somethin' I enjoy. Beats the hell outta the other parts of my job."




Once they were outside, Katy walked over by where she had tied up Isabelle and spoke quietly to the horse for a moment before turning her attention back to Trace. Once he approached she pulled the right side of her duster open. Trace could see that her dark gray blouse had stayed substantially cleaner than her duster had. The pistol grip he had previously glimpsed was also more apparent, it looked like it was well-used but well-cared-for. On the inside of her Duster was also pinned a silver star within a ring of silver. The symbol of the Texas Rangers.

She let her duster fall back the way it was. "Sorry I was a bit circumspect in there, Trace. Never know who's listenin' when yer this close ta someone yer trackin'. I'm Corporal Catherine Cox of the Texas Ranger brigade. The fella I'm lookin' fer is a former higher up at Bayou Vermillion. As I mentioned, he ain't just sellin' information, but he's got somethin' that might be dangerous if it falls inta the wrong hands. If yer still up ta the task of givin' me a hand locatin' this gentleman, I'd be grateful fer the backup. I spect I can do some talkin' and make him an offer that'll be better'n he'll get elsewise, but ya never know when trouble's gonna start."

She gazed again at Trace with that no-nonsense sort of look.
Trace Hargrave
player, 21 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R2 B0
Wed 2 Nov 2016
at 02:08
  • msg #37

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave blinked in surprise when Cox revealed her star. The suspicion that she was a bounty hunter had crossed his mind, but not that she might be an agent of the law. Especially not a Texas Ranger. He'd heard stories of them, certainly, particularly during his time in Denver. But he'd never believed that he would he would encounter one of them in the flesh.

A former leader with Bayou Vermilion. For a moment, his thoughts drifted to the Cauldron. The Rail Barons seemed to be gifted in finding new ways to visit death on their enemies...and the innocent.

He shifted his rifle in his hands. "I'll be glad to help you..." He was suddenly uncertain what to call her. "...Corporal. If Leroux's actions are going to put people in danger, someone needs to bring him to a halt." He smiled and shrugged. "Besides, I've got no better claim on my time."

His eyes shifted to the darkened town. "So, the graveyard next?"
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 88 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W6R3B1L0
Wed 2 Nov 2016
at 02:53
  • msg #38

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy shook her head. "Ranger or Katy will be fine. If yer willin' ta help me, then there are a couple things we gotta do 'fore we get ta the graveyard. First things first. I gotta deputize you, and then we gotta go see the town's sheriff. Then we hit the graveyard."

She suddenly got a very solemn look on her face as she looked at Trace. "By the power vested in me by the State of Texas, I hereby deputize you, Trace Hargrave. Until released from this deputation, you have the powers and protections accorded to officers of the law in this fine state. This includes allowance to use deadly force should it be justified in the line of duty. Do you understand and agree to this duty, Deputy? And if you do - lead us to the Sherriff's office." Katy could probably find it, but Trace undoubtedly knew where the law was housed.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:44, Wed 02 Nov 2016.
The Stray
GM, 1807 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Wed 2 Nov 2016
at 05:32
  • msg #39

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

PM
Trace Hargrave
player, 22 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R2 B0
Wed 2 Nov 2016
at 22:13
  • msg #40

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave cleared his throat. "Yes, I do," he answered. He'd never been deputized before. Never expected that he would be in the service of the law. Of course, he'd never believed he would be an aimless drifter either, a man without a place to call home. One's wyrd was a constant source of surprises.

"Ranger...Katy, there isn't a sheriff in Socorro. There isn't any law at all. If someone here needs a person with a badge, they have to make the trip to El Paso."

"That's one reason Earl Johnson was so quick to hire a gunman like me to guard his herd."
He gestured back at the Feral Dog. "And why no one's put an end to the dog fighting at the saloon. I'm afraid it's why some people are drawn to this town. They know they won't be watched."
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 91 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R3B0L0
Wed 2 Nov 2016
at 22:35
  • msg #41

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy smiled at his acceptance. "Welcome to the Rangers, Deputy, even if your stay within our ranks will be mercifully brief. Should something happen where ya survive and I don't, please report my demise to the El Paso branch office."

She nodded at the response from Trace concerning the lack of Sheriff. Or any law for that matter. "Thought that might be so. Well, you and I are the law round here fer now, then. Time ta head ta that graveyard, Trace." She paused then smiled again. Her tone softened and the smile could be seen in her eyes. "And thanks again."

OOC: I'm unsure how far away that might be. If it's far enough, then they'll go mounted. If walking distance, then Isabelle can stay hitched right where she is.
Old Socorro Mission
Wed 2 Nov 2016
at 23:01
  • msg #42

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))



<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coL1-t4UZ1Q">Some Mood Music</a>

The Mission was not terribly far, sitting as it was in the middle of town and a mile and a half from the US-Mexico border. But it was dark as the two arrived. No lights burned in the windows. There was an eerie stillness in the air as the pair approached the Mission.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 93 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R3B0L0
Thu 3 Nov 2016
at 05:14
  • msg #43

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy looked around the place as they approached and looked over to Trace. She moved close to him and spoke quietly. "Graveyard's prolly 'round back. Let's head back there quiet-like. See what's up."

She pointed in the direction she planned to take and then headed that way.
The Stray
GM, 1812 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Thu 3 Nov 2016
at 12:39
  • msg #44

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))



some mood music

The graveyard turns out to be sitting in front of the mission, about 300 feet away from the entrance. The large plot of land sprawls on, bounded by a low adobe wall covered in white stucco. Socorro might not have so many living residents, but there is plenty of room for the dead.

((OOC: Make me Notice Rolls (-2 for the darkness) please))
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 94 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R3B0L0
Thu 3 Nov 2016
at 13:15
  • msg #45

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

"Or mebbe it's right in front." Katy peered into the darkness to see if she could pick out anything of interest.

06:13, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 4,0 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 6,2.  Notice.
Trace Hargrave
player, 23 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R2 B0
Thu 3 Nov 2016
at 14:06
  • msg #46

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave returned her smile. "Glad to do it," he replied.


When they reached the mission, he paused, regarding the dark building for a long moment. It was past time for vespers, but the hush that had enveloped the place, its seeming emptiness, unsettled him.

He nodded in quiet agreement with Cox as they approached the cemetery. Instinct led him to slide his rifle out of its boot as he studied the collection of monuments, his narrowed eyes searching for any hint of activity.

09:01, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 9,2 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+1)9,2.  Notice.

I'm working on the assumption that the bonus for the Alertness Edge offsets the penalty for the darkness. Please adjust my totals as needed if I'm incorrect.

Old Socorro Mission Graveyard
Thu 3 Nov 2016
at 15:42
  • msg #47

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The two hop the wall and creep through the graveyard. It seems like they haven't been the only ones to do so recently; the ground has been disturbed by a lot of footprints.
Trace Hargrave
player, 24 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R2 B0
Thu 3 Nov 2016
at 16:05
  • msg #48

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

After they had moved several paces into the graveyard, Hargrave halted abruptly, raising a hand to signal caution to Cox.

"Watch your step," he whispered, "There's several open graves in this area for some reason. I almost just took a tumble into one myself."

Shifting his rifle to his left hand, he drew his Bowie knife with his right, gesturing with the point of the blade. "There's a figure ahead, sprawled out against one of the crosses. Looks like a corpse. I'm going to have a look."

Cautiously, he approached the motionless form.
Bayou Vermilion Bokkor
NPC, 4 posts
Bad Mojo Risin'
P7 T6 F0 Cha -2 Henchman
Thu 3 Nov 2016
at 16:56
  • msg #49

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The figure, a black man in what was once a fancy suit, is quite dead. Looks like he'd been mauled by some sort of animal, though his head's been smashed in and it looks like whatever got him emptied his skull out. Bits of gore lie strewn across the area, and there's a bloody smear in the dirt...he'd been killed a few paces away, then dragged here. The kill is fresh, probably no more than half an hour at most. Laying nearby is a metal keg on it's side, with some greenish liquid pooling below the spigot. It glows faintly in the gloom.

Wild animals aren't known to drape corpses upright on crosses after killing them.


((OOC: Going to need a Fear/Nausea check from you, -3 for the local Fear level, + Grit))
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 95 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R3B0L0
Thu 3 Nov 2016
at 17:16
  • msg #50

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy nodded at Trace. "Thanks fer the warnin'. Open graves ain't a good sign." Katy drew her pistol and then went to peer into one of the open graves while passing by.

She caught up to Trace and put a hand on his arm. "Trace...oh shit. That's Laroo."

10:08, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 9,3 using d6+1,d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of (6+2)8,2.  Fear (+Grit+Brave-level).

The grisly scene wasn't anything she hadn't seen before. Her Uncle had tried to warn her off when she suggested she'd make a good Ranger. But no....Katy was as stubborn, actually more stubborn, than any mule known to man. Once she got a notion in her head, she couldn't be pushed off course. Until it was too late.

She then went over to the liquid and turned off the spigot. "This here's the stuff, Trace, but...this town's about ta be in a world o' hurt if what happened ta Laroo is what I think happened ta him."

She walked back over to Trace. "Can ya keep a secret Deputy, and swear ta it?"
Trace Hargrave
player, 25 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R2 B0
Thu 3 Nov 2016
at 20:50
  • msg #51

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave paused when he saw the remains, a deep cold settling into his stomach as his eyes took in the man's extensive wounds. He felt his throat close up momentarily, as he recognized that there was something inherently wrong about the corpse's injuries. Even as a child, he'd witnessed the results of wild animal attacks, but this assuredly wasn't one. The same...thing that had torn the victim apart had draped him on the cross...and somehow emptied his skull.

He started slightly when Cox put her hand on his arm, then let out a slow breath. Her presence steadied him. The sight of the corpse didn't seem to rattle her as it did him. He shook his head at the revelation that the victim was Leroux. Whatever the man's business had been, it had clearly gotten him killed.

He watched as she turned off the flow of the glowing liquid, curious about its origins and disturbed by its appearance. He nodded when she asked her question. "Of course," he answered, "I won't breathe a word of what you tell me."

15:02, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 1,1 using 1d6-1,1d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2.  Fear Test.

15:10, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 5,2 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,2.  Vigor.

OOC: Can a White Chip be used, worst case, to burn off the resulting Shaken condition? I really don't want to have a deficit when the undead show up, wanting to serve us up with a baked potato and a side salad.

The Stray
GM, 1815 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Thu 3 Nov 2016
at 20:54
  • msg #52

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: Yes, you can use White Chips to automatically recover from Shaken at any time.

Speaking of chips, I think you missed one of the Joker awards that happened once you started playing.))

This message was last edited by the GM at 20:55, Thu 03 Nov 2016.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 100 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R3B0L0
Thu 3 Nov 2016
at 21:12
  • msg #53

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy nodded and placed a comforting hand on Trace's shoulder, turning him slightly away from the ghastly sight. "Good. That liquid there what just drained inta the ground in this here cemetery? Some kinda weird concoction that some scientist in the Bayou mixed up. Claim I heard is that it can cause a body ta regain a little of its life, gettin' raised up again. Not like Jesus raisin' Lazarus, neither."

She looked around to see if anything had shown up yet. "If them rumors are true, you take that big gun o' yours and aim fer the head. Blow 'em apart like overripe melons, ya got me? If we run outta bullets, we gotta find somethin' blunt, and smash 'em in the head. Or use that knife ya got and slice their noggins clean off."

OOC: Given her assignment and that she owns a copy of the Rangers' Bible, I presume Katy would know just about everything the Rangers know about the Bayou Vermillion 'special sauce' and what it produces. Let me know if there's anything else she should/could add (or subtract) from the above.

"Oh, and the middle of this cemetery prolly ain't the best place fer us. We should head toward that mission til we see what comes up here, so we don't get surrounded."

She pointed at the keg. "Let's roll that thing toward the mission as well. Don't want any more of it gettin' spilled."
The Stray
GM, 1816 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Thu 3 Nov 2016
at 21:19
  • msg #54

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: Make Notice checks (-2), please. Alertness does help with this.))
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 102 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R3B0L0
Thu 3 Nov 2016
at 21:30
  • msg #55

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

14:29, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 1,1 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3.  Notice.

Katy wishes she'd brought a light.

Trace Hargrave
player, 27 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R2 B1
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 00:45
  • msg #56

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

He blinked at Cox. "This liquid creates...revenants?"

It probably wasn't the correct term, but it was the only one familiar to him. It was the word his father had used when he had told Trace about the restless souls that took up their decaying flesh once more and wandered the valley and the Wyre Forest, seeking to settle something that had been left undone while they lived. Trace, only ten at the time, had put on a brave face at the close of the tale. Addressing his father, he had said, "But, Papa, those things are only just stories. They aren't real. Not truly."

His father had regarded him seriously and rolled up the sleeve of his shirt, revealing the jagged scars from four large claws, the color of each one a deep charcoal gray. "Real enough, son," he had answered, "Real enough."

Hargrave shook his head, his gaze falling to the metal keg. "Walking corpses," he said, finding another term. All at once, he suddenly understood Bayou Vermillion's claims of labor that never ceased. Most of their workers were the dead. Refocusing on Cox, he added, "This is what Leroux was trying to sell."

Looking around at the empty graves, he felt another cold jolt travel the length of his spine. "You're right, Katy. We need to get inside. And get what's left of that liquid somewhere safe."

He approached the keg, his eyes scanning the surrounding darkness as he prepared to help move it.

18:57, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 5,5 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,5.  Notice.
The Stray
GM, 1818 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 01:18
  • msg #57

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The revelation seemed to make the night air chillier. The swiftly-fading light over the horizon sank the graveyard even deeper in twilight, and Trace thought he could here the rustle of grass out among the graves.

The keg was heavy, but not nearly heavy enough to be full of fluid. And nothing sloshed inside it when Trace moved it.

The fluid that had been in here was there no longer. It must all have leaked out...or been used.

And that thought was crossing Trace's mind when the screaming began all around them...

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

((OOC: Fear check! -3 Fear level, + grit. Also, all the zombies that snuck up on you guys get an action because they beat your Notice rolls and thus caught you with Surprise.

14:29, Today: Secret Roll: Walkin' Dead rolled 5,8 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,(6+2)8.  Group Stealth.))

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 103 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R3B0L0
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 02:04
  • msg #58

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy nodded slightly at Trace's question. "Close enough to." She nodded again at his voicing of the fact that Laroux was trying to sell this liquid. "Yup, seems Laroux wanted ta make some money by sellin' out his company. Don't think Baron LaCroix likes double crossers so much."

Katy took a deep breath in response to the sound of the shambling corpses that had approached them in the dark. "Forget the keg. Back to back, Trace." She braced for the oncoming assault and moved to put her back to Trace's. It was unfortunate that a town this size had managed to have so many folk killed.

18:48, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 5,2 using d6+1,d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 4,1.  Fear check!
This message was last edited by the player at 02:07, Fri 04 Nov 2016.
Trace Hargrave
player, 28 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R2 B1
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 02:10
  • msg #59

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

They were all around them. He cursed inwardly, angered that he'd failed to keep up his practiced vigilance. Moving back to back with Cox, he prepared for the coming onslaught.

I'll burn a White chip to remove my prior Shaken condition.

21:03, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 3,2 using 1d6-1,1d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 4,3.  Fear Check.

And burn another to remove this one.

The Stray
GM, 1821 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 02:57
  • msg #60

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: Actually, this is a Fear check, not a nausea one, so I roll on the Fear table to find out what happens to Trace. Could be shaken, could run away screaming, pick up a phobia, have a heart attack...all sorts of nasty things. Which is why PCs tend to burn chips to make sure they succeed on Fear checks.

19:55, Today: The Stray, on behalf of Trace Hargrave, rolled 4 using 1d20, rerolling max with rolls of 4.  Fear!

Congrats, that's an Adrenaline Surge. You get to keep your chip, and furthermore you get a +2 bonus to your next Trait roll and Damage roll, just as if you'd drawn a Joker. Go Trace!))

Walkin' Dead
NPC, 6 posts
Tasty, tasty brains
P5 T7 F0 Cha - Extra
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 05:05
  • msg #61

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))



some mood music

From the darkness burst six ragged corpses, corpses that had obviously been dead a long time judging by the rot and reek. The pair make out twelve glowing green eyes, and then the ghouls fall on them.

Trace takes the worst of it. He's beset by two dead men and one dead woman, all of them seeming eager to gnaw at his flesh with their filthy teeth and rake him with their fingerbones.

Katy is mobbed as well, but this was what she was trained for, and is able to fend two of the revenants off. The third gets a bite on her shoulder...but the leather duster proves its worth and all Katy feels is an uncomfortable pinch.

((OOC: So there's 6 of them, 3 for each of you. They take swings at you.

Attacks vs. Trace: 21:50, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 5,5,15 using d6,d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,5,(6+6+3)15.  Fighting.

That's three hits, one with a Raise.

Damage 1: 12. That's a Shaken and 1 Wound unless you soak.
Damage 2: 11. That's a Shaken and 1 Wound unless you soak.
Damage 3 (Raise): 9. That's a Shaken result, which will be a wound if you're still Shaken by the time you get to this roll.

Man, the die roller decided not to like Trace for some reason.

Attacks vs. Katy: 21:51, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 2,5,3 using d6,d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,5,3.  Fighting.

That's one hit.

Damage: 3.

Draw initiative! As a general rule, I prefer if you draw for your next turn's initiative once you finish your current action.

Deader card: KS. For fuck's sake, die roller.))

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 104 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R3B0L0
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 05:37
  • msg #62

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy was indeed made for this, and expecting it. She was a flurry of motion as she dodged the first two attacks, her duster flapping away from her body as she made her subtle movements to avoid the worst of the attacks. One got to her shoulder with it's teeth, but the Ranger twisted away from the dedder almost as soon as it made contact.

22:28, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: 7D using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

She fought to get her pistol aimed toward a noggin, but didn't have time to do so before the bastards forced her to duck out of the way of a head high swipe.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:43, Fri 04 Nov 2016.
Trace Hargrave
player, 29 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1 R2 B1
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 15:53
  • msg #63

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

It seemed the dead were upon them in an instant, their teeth and claws assailing him from all sides. Although Hargrave considered himself reasonably quick, he wasn't able to avoid any of their blows. He could only steel himself mentally, pushing past the pain, focusing on remaining on his feet and staying alive.

10:38, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 6,5 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,5.  White Chip - Soak Roll.

10:39, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 2,9 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+3)9.  Red Chip - Soak Roll.

10:40, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 3,7 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,(6+1)7.  Spirit - Shaken.

10:43, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: QS using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Walkin' Dead
NPC, 7 posts
Tasty, tasty brains
P5 T7 F0 Cha - Extra
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 16:09
  • msg #64

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The deaders really seem interested in Trace for some reason. They go after him with savage fury, biting and clawing.

The ones going after Katy are less effective, as she continually dodges and blocks them.

((OOC: The deaders, naturally, want to get at those tasty, tasty brains, so they continue to attack.

Attacks vs. Trace: 09:01, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 11,23,2 using d6,d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+5)11,(6+6+6+5)23,2.  Fighting. Wow the die roller really seems to hate you. That's 2 hits with raises

Damage 1: 11. That's another wound unless you soak.
Damage 2: 6. That's just a Shaken, which will only be a Wound if you fail to soak that first hit.

You don't technically roll to recover from being Shaken until the start of your action, so you can keep that Spirit roll in reserve for now.

Attacks vs. Katy: 09:02, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 2,1,1 using d6,d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,1,1.  Fighting. And it seems to like you alright. Those are all misses.

It's probably a good thing I'm not using Gang-Up bonuses in this fight. I swear this was just supposed to be an introductory combat, not a TPK.

Deader card: 7C))


Resolve some rolls, and then Trace is up!
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 105 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R3B0L0
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 18:29
  • msg #65

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

OOC: Not so fast...

Katy spun the pair around at the last moment, applying just a little pressure with her left shoulder to make the suggestion to Trace. One of the dedders that thought he was going to sink his claws into Trace instead met the butt of Katy's gun.

Before the corpses strike, Katy plays:
4S - Last Stand
“Stand together now!”
Play anytime. Your hero and any allies within 5" gain +2 Parry and Toughness. Allies who move into the area after the card is played gain the bonus as well. The effect ends when a Joker is dealt.

Note that based on PMs with our illustrious leader, this lasts for the entire scene until a joker is dealt. So draw bad for initiative, ya hear?

The +2 Parry and Toughness should negate the shaken and the wound, leaving him only having to deal with being shaken.

"Stand tall now, cowboy. And aim true. I gotcher back whatever comes."
The Stray
GM, 1828 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 18:38
  • msg #66

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: That downgrades the wound to just a Shaken, then, and the other Shaken 'tis just a scratch.))
Trace Hargrave
player, 30 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R1 B1
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 18:44
  • msg #67

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave remained swarmed, unable to break free from his attackers. He made a desperate swing with his knife, trying to aim for the head as Cox had told him, but his blade found only empty air.

I'm presuming my previous Spirit roll went to the lingering Shaken condition from the previous round.

12:47, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 6,3 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,3.  Red Chip - Soak Roll.

12:48, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 2,2 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2.  Spirit - Shaken.

That's a failure, so I'll cash out my last chip, a blue, to clear the new Shaken condition.

12:56, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled -1,-2 using 1d6-4,1d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2.  Fighting - Called Shot: Head.

12:57, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: 3H using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's Door.

The Stray
GM, 1829 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 18:53
  • msg #68

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: No the roll applies at the start of your action, not the round.

I will refund you 1 blue chip, because Katy's card saved you from being wounded, but since 2 Shaken results = 1 wound, you'd have had to soak anyway. But since soaking also removes the Shaken status, you don't start your turn shaken.))


Katy is up!
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:54, Fri 04 Nov 2016.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 106 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R2B0L0
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 19:19
  • msg #69

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy continued her spin and slid her left hand along the left side of Trace's ribcage, and her pistol flashed under his right armpit. She aimed for the bugger that was right in front of him and connected solidly with it's over-ripe noggin.

She spun her body back around so that she was again back-to-back with the drifter, still facing her three attackers.

OOC: Hit one square in the head, used a red chip

10 to hit (which I assume is a raise) and 15 damage to the head. AP1.

12:14, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: 9D using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.
12:14, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 15 using 3d6+5, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3,4.  Damage.
12:14, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 10 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+4)10.  Red Chip.
12:13, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled -1,0 using d8-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 3,4.  Called shot: head.

Walkin' Dead
NPC, 8 posts
Tasty, tasty brains
P5 T7 F0 Cha - Extra
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 19:26
  • msg #70

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The body falls, minus one head. The other deaders pause a bit, and turn their eerie green eyes on Katy.

((OOC: That'll do it.))
Katy gets to go before the deaders do.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 107 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 20:09
  • msg #71

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy had spun back just in time to see one of them lunge for her. She kicked at the thing, creating just enough space to slide her pistol up below its chin. She squeezed the trigger and was satisfied with the sounds and sights that followed.

OOC: Hit with an 11 (after red chip). 19 damage.


13:06, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: 9S using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.
13:06, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 19 using 3d6+5, rerolling max with rolls of (6+4)10,1,3.  Damage,raise.
13:05, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 11 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+5)11.  red chip.
13:05, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled -1,0 using d8-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 3,4.  Shooting (called shot-head).

Walkin' Dead
NPC, 9 posts
Tasty, tasty brains
P5 T7 F0 Cha - Extra
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 20:25
  • msg #72

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

After the second shot, the remaining deaders all move to swarm Katy, leaving Trace alone for the moment. They snarl and bite, attempting to take the Ranger down, and one manages to get a bite in...

((OOC: As a note, these things suffer an additional +2 damage from called shots to the head, so that's a 21 (and a 17 before).

The Walkin' dead all go after Katy now, as she's gotten their attention.

13:19, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 4,2,11,3 using d6,d6,d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,2,(6+5)11,3.  Fighting.

Only one hits, but it's a hit with a Raise.

Damage: 13. That's a Wound if she doesn't soak.

They've also moved in such a way that Trace can bring his gun to bear on them if he moves a square.

Next card: 4D))


Trace is up!
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 108 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Fri 4 Nov 2016
at 22:41
  • msg #73

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy hadn't expected them to all focus on her, but she was kind of glad they did, for a variety of reasons. Not least of which is that Trace didn't choose this profession exactly. One managed to get a good gnaw on her upper left arm, but she slipped out of its dental grip before it could do anything lasting. She was bloodied, however, a few trickles of it starting to spill down her arm.

OOC: Soaking.
15:38, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 5,5 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,5.  Soak!

Also note that I'm going to be out-of-touch for much of the rest of today and all of tomorrow. I'll be back to modern living on Sunday.

Trace Hargrave
player, 31 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R1 B1
Sun 6 Nov 2016
at 19:30
  • msg #74

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave stepped back and shouldered his rifle, hoping to ward off one of Cox's attackers, but could only manage a wild, ineffectual shot.

Free Action: Retreat one step.

13:15, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled -1,-1 using 1d10-3,1d6-3, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2.  Shooting - Called Shot: Head

Blue Chip to try and salvage a hit.

13:17, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 2 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2.  Blue Chip -Shooting.

Sorry, Katy.

13:18, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: 10H using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

This message was last edited by the player at 19:42, Sun 06 Nov 2016.
The Stray
GM, 1841 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Sun 6 Nov 2016
at 19:34
  • msg #75

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: Ya'll get to go before they do.))

Turn Order
Trace: 10H
Katy: 9D
Walkin' Dead: 4D

Trace Hargrave
player, 32 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R1 B1
Sun 6 Nov 2016
at 21:33
  • msg #76

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave tried to steady his breathing, to calm himself and focus. He had to help Cox.

He whispered to the landvaettir, their answering voices like dry leaves in this desert flatland, blue gray smoke sheathing his rifle. Taking aim again, he exhaled slowly and squeezed off a second shot.

Free Action: Activate Aim

Power Points Used: 1

14:58, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 7,2 using 1d10-1,1d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 8,3.  Shooting - Called Shot: Head.

15:01, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 13 using 2d10+2, rerolling max with rolls of 5,6.  Damage.

I believe the reduced penalty from Aim results in a Shooting total of 8 and a Raise. If so:

15:04, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 3 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3.  Raise Damage (if applicable).

Total Damage: 13 (16 with Raise).

15:24, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: JD using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Well, at least I put a dent in one of 'em.

The Stray
GM, 1842 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Sun 6 Nov 2016
at 21:39
  • msg #77

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The dead man falls at Trace's well-placed shot, missing the top of its head. The remaining three look at each other as if trying to communicate.

((OOC: Headshots deal +4 damage. The walkin' dead take +2 damage on top of that, so that's a total of +6 damage. So it's actually 20 total damage, which is 3 wounds for the deader. So down it goes.

And yes, the bonus from Aim reduces that penalty and makes it a raise. nice shot!))


Katy's up next!
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 109 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Sun 6 Nov 2016
at 22:16
  • msg #78

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Surrounded by the shambling bodies, Katy was doing as well as she could just to keep them from harming her any further. She managed to get her pistol up for a shot, but it missed the head for which she aimed.

14:13, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 1,1 using d8-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 5,5.  Shooting (called shot-head).
14:15, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: 5D using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.


"Keep firing, Trace!"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:17, Sun 06 Nov 2016.
Walkin' Dead
NPC, 10 posts
Tasty, tasty brains
P5 T7 F0 Cha - Extra
Sun 6 Nov 2016
at 22:45
  • msg #79

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The deaders take some quick slashes at Katy...and then suddenly turn tail and run away! They slink low among the tombstones, attempting to make hitting them more difficult.

These things are more clever than walking, rotting corpses ought to be.

((OOC: The Walkin' Dead take some more swings at Katy, then attempt to get away.

15:40, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 2,2,2 using d6,d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2,2.  Fighting. All misses, so they attempt to run, using the tombstones as Cover.

Katy, you get a free Fighting attack against one of them, if you want to try pistol-whippin' the dead.

Once they've moved, they have Moderate Cover, so ranged attacks against them are at -2.

Card: 4C))


Turn Order
Trace: JD
Katy: 5D
Walkin' dead: 4C

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 110 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Sun 6 Nov 2016
at 22:54
  • msg #80

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy had been so intent on trying to avoid swipe after swipe, she could only take a half-hearted swing with her pistol butt once the dedders decided to retreat.

"Don't let 'em get away!"

Best if these things didn't get free in the city.

14:51, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled -2,-1 using d6-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3.  Fightin' (called shot: head).
Trace Hargrave
player, 33 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R0 B0
Mon 7 Nov 2016
at 00:24
  • msg #81

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave fired again, but his shot didn't come close to threatening any of the fleeing corpses.

Free Action: Sustain Aim

Power Points Spent: 1

18:11, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled -2,-1 using 1d10-3,1d6-3, rerolling max with rolls of 1,2.  Shooting - Called Shot: Head.

18:14, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: 2C using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

The Stray
GM, 1843 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Mon 7 Nov 2016
at 00:33
  • msg #82

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The shot goes wide, ricocheting off a tombstone.

((OOC: Aim lasts 3 rounds without you needing to spend Power Points to maintain it. It's only after the 3 rounds are up that you need to spend points on it.))

Katy's up!
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 111 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Mon 7 Nov 2016
at 01:50
  • msg #83

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy took her own advice and aimed her pistol toward one of the fleeing dedders. She aimed for the head and was happy when her shot connected.



17:50, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: QC using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.
17:48, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 10 using 2d6+7, rerolling max with rolls of 1,2.  Damage.
17:48, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 4,-2 using d8-6,d6-6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+2)10,4.  Called shot: head.

Walkin' Dead
NPC, 11 posts
Tasty, tasty brains
P5 T7 F0 Cha - Extra
Mon 7 Nov 2016
at 02:18
  • msg #84

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The one hit by Katy lurches, but doesn't fall. It seems a bit rattled. The other pair keep on running, moving way faster than anything that dead ought. They reach the wall around the graveyard, and one of them manages to climb over. The other tries to climb but slips down.

The shaken deader regains its equilibrium and runs after its companions, almost reaching the gate itself.

((OOC: That will make that particular deader Shaken. It keeps moving, but can only take free actions, so it can't Run. it's almost at the edge of Katy's short range.

The other two Run. 19:03, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 5,5 using d6,d6.  Run.

That will put them 17 squares away, which is out of Short Range for Katy's pistol...but not Trace's rifle. Even better, they're out of the section of the graveyard with easy cover, so he has no penalty to hit them.

19:07, Today: Walkin' Dead drew the single card: AH using the Deadlands system.

...unless they get an Ace, which puts them ahead of both of you. But they have to climb over the wall. And they aren't great climbers, so they only have d4-2 on this.

19:09, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 0,5 using d4-2,d4-2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(4+3)7.  Climbing.

One gets over the wall, one does not.

The Shaken one attempts to Unshake.

19:10, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 5 using 1d4+2, rerolling max with rolls of 3.  Unshake. Success. It gets an action at -2. But since it's Running anyway, that doesn't matter.

19:11, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 1 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1.  Run.

It doesn't get far.

One Deader is 23 squares away. (Short Range for Trace, Medium Range for Katy, No cover)
One Deader is 20 squares away. (Short Range for Trace, Medium Range for Katy, No cover)
One Deader is 19 squares away. (short Range for Trace, Medium Range for Katy, No cover)

Katy will have to move to shoot them without penalty. Trace doesn't have to move.

Card: 8S))


Turn Order
Walkin' Dead: AH
Katy Cox: QC
Trace Hargrave: 2C

This message was last edited by the player at 02:19, Mon 07 Nov 2016.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 112 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Mon 7 Nov 2016
at 06:12
  • msg #85

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy moved towards and took another shot at the head of one of those fleeing, but missed. Barely.

OOC: Move as far as Katy can without penalty and shoot.
22:11, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 2,1 using d8-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 6,5.  Called shot: head.

KH next round.

This message was last edited by the player at 06:14, Mon 07 Nov 2016.
Trace Hargrave
player, 34 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R0 B0
Mon 7 Nov 2016
at 14:22
  • msg #86

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Desperation began to guide Hargrave's hand. To his shame, he'd proven unable to make much difference in the fight, but he earnestly didn't want to see innocents in Socorro endangered by these horrific creatures. Hoping to wound one the walking dead enough to halt its progress, he squeezed off a shot at the corpse that was farthest away.

08:01, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 9,5 using 1d10+3,1d6+3, rerolling max with rolls of 6,2.  Shooting.

That's a hit with a Raise, but the resulting damage borders on comedic. Hargrave may as well be using a. 22. Less recoil, too.

08:02, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 3,5 using 2d10,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,1,5.  Damage.

Total Damage: 8

08:04, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: 6D using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 116 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Mon 7 Nov 2016
at 14:42
  • msg #87

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy again closed the distance with one of the dedders and squeezed off a shot. It seemed to connect solidly, as gore splatted in various directions when the ammunition from the Peacemaker found its mark.

OOC: Katy moves toward whichever one is closest to escaping. Probably means the one that isn't Shaken.

10 to hit and 26 damage this time.


06:40, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: AC using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.
06:39, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 26 using 3d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of (6+3)9,(6+5)11,5.  Damage.
06:39, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 10,1 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+2)10,1.  Shooting!

Walkin' Dead
NPC, 12 posts
Tasty, tasty brains
P5 T7 F0 Cha - Extra
Mon 7 Nov 2016
at 16:48
  • msg #88

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy's shot splatters the corpse's ripe torso. The head may still be bitey, but it's not going anywhere anymore.

The other deader reaches the wall and scratches at it, but isn't able to find a purchase and get over it.

The deader outside the wall staggers at Trace's shot, but then shakes itself and starts running. It's almost to the Mission and the town beyond.

((OOC: So that's one of them Shaken and the other Incapacitated. That leaves one left that's neither, and it tries to get over the wall.

09:35, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 1 using 1d4-2, rerolling max with rolls of 3.  Climbing.

It does not do so. I check to see if the other one gets off being Shaken.

09:36, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 4 using 1d4+2, rerolling max with rolls of 2.  Recover from Shaken.

It does, and this is the one past the gate, so it runs.

09:37, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 3 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3.  The Running Dead.

That will get it 32 squares from Trace. If it gets much further, it'll get to town and you'll lose it.

With that measure in mind:

Deader past the wall: 32 squares from Trace, 20 squares from Katy (Medium Range for both)
Deader at the wall: 20 squares from Trace, 8 squares from Katy (Short Range for both)

Deader card: 7H))

Trace is up!
Trace Hargrave
player, 35 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R0 B0
Mon 7 Nov 2016
at 17:34
  • msg #89

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Grimacing at his inability to bring fleeing revenants down, Hargrave pulled a rune etched cartridge from his belt and loaded it into the Bullard. Taking aim at the corpse that had almost reached Socorro, he exhaled slowly and squeezed off another shot.

Agility Check to load Longbarreled Special.

11:07, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 2,11 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+5)11.  Agility Check.

The Longbarreled should eliminate the Medium Range penalty.

11:09, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 10,5 using 1d10+3,1d6+3, rerolling max with rolls of 7,2.  Shooting.

11:09, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 9,2 using 2d10,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,7,2.  Damage.

Total Damage: 11

11:11, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: QD using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

This message was last edited by the player at 17:40, Mon 07 Nov 2016.
Walkin' Dead
NPC, 13 posts
Tasty, tasty brains
P5 T7 F0 Cha - Extra
Mon 7 Nov 2016
at 17:38
  • msg #90

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Trace's shot blows the deader clean off its feet. It pitches forward, dead again.

((OOC: That's a Wound, which downs it. There's only one deader left.))

Turn Order
Katy: AC
Trace: QD
Deader: 7D

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 117 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Mon 7 Nov 2016
at 17:45
  • msg #91

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

"Nice shot!" Katy yelled as she saw the one dedder closest to town taken by Trace's bullet.

She slapped a new cylinder in her gun, pulled the trigger, and smacked the hammer until she was out of shots, filling the air with lead. She hoped some of it would catch the remaining running dead, and put it down.

OOC: Quick load cylinder and then slam the hammer.

3 hits, doing 7, 6, and 7 damage. AP1.

09:43, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: 10H using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.
09:43, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 7,6,7 using 2d6+1,2d6+1,2d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 2,4,1,4,3,3.  Damage.
09:42, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 5,1,3,5,3,3,7 using d8-2,d8-2,d8-2,d8-2,d8-2,d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 7,3,5,7,5,5,(6+3)9.  Lotta bullets.

The Stray
GM, 1851 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Mon 7 Nov 2016
at 20:26
  • msg #92

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The hail of bullets sends the dead man back to the grave. A silence falls over the graveyard.

((OOC: That will make the deader Shaken, then Shaken again, which puts it down.))

Combat Over
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 118 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Mon 7 Nov 2016
at 20:55
  • msg #93

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy took a moment to look around and reload her pistol. Once she was certain the last of them had truly been put down, she headed back over by Trace. "Great shootin', Trace." She walked close and put her left hand on his right arm just above the elbow. "Sorry ya got dragged inta this. I was hopin' ta find Laroo long before that stuff got used. It...weren't supposed to be such a way. Hope yer holdin up okay?" She searched Trace's face to a sign of how he was doing after facing the walking, and running, dead.

"If so, I'ma take another look at Laroo. Keep yer eyes open while I do." Katy didn't move away until she had a sense for Trace's state of mind, but she wanted to look at the body to see if there was anything important there.
Trace Hargrave
player, 36 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R0 B0
Mon 7 Nov 2016
at 21:23
  • msg #94

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave's eyes went to the fallen dead, a strange sadness passing over him. The creatures his father had spoken of had returned to the land of the living of their own will, driven by a burning, often malevolent need. These poor souls had been forced from their rest by some mad invention. They were raised to be used as labor, or to wander as purposeless predators. Yes, they were threats that had to be stopped, but Hargrave couldn't help feeling a certain sympathy for them. They hadn't chosen to return here.

He nodded at Cox' inquiry. "I'm all right," he assured her. Managing a smile he added, "I just expected, as a deputy, to arrest people. Living people."

As she started for Leroux, he said, "Once you're finished, I think I'll go get the remains of the one that almost reached Socorro. Leaving them out there might lead to some difficult questions."

He began to reload his rifle, surveying the graveyard, alert for any signs of movement.

14:56, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 5,9 using 1d8+2,1d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,(6+1)7.  Notice.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 119 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Mon 7 Nov 2016
at 22:24
  • msg #95

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

At Trace's assurance that he would be okay, Katy gave him a slight smile and patted his arm where she was already touching it. "Yer a better man'n most, then. I think ya'd make a mighty fine Ranger should ya wanna join us permanently some day. As fer arrestin' livin' folk, we may have ta do that, too. Laroo didn't just decide ta pour that stuff in the ground in the middle of a graveyard while he was in it, knowin' what it did. Somethin' else is afoot here."

Katy went over to have a look at Leroux to see if there was anything that might give them a clue as to why there were now dead running around a city in Texas. Most other areas of the country had their own problems. Texas tended to take care of all theirs. And then some.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:35, Mon 07 Nov 2016.
Bayou Vermilion Bokkor
NPC, 5 posts
Bad Mojo Risin'
P7 T6 F0 Cha -2 Henchman
Tue 8 Nov 2016
at 00:20
  • msg #96

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Trace keeps an eye on the area, watchful for trouble. The gunfire seems to have gotten some attention from town. There were some shouts, and Trace could make out the glow of lanterns. There also seemed to be movement from the mission...Father Ramirez, most likely.

Leroux's body has been badly mangled, and the bite marks all look as if they came from human-shaped jaws. His brains are completely gone. But that wasn't what killed him. Somebody had stabbed him in the back. His billfold lay nearby...it looked like whoever it was had rifled though his pockets and taken whatever cash he had on him. Leroux's pistol was still in its holster, and was cold to the touch.

There was a letter stuffed in Leroux's vest. It was lightly splattered with blood, but it had been folded and was probably still legible. Unfortunately by now it was too dark to read without striking a match. She could see that it was addressed to "Baltasar Leroux," and the return address was "From Hell's Heart."
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 120 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Tue 8 Nov 2016
at 01:10
  • msg #97

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy announced her findings. "Laroo was stabbed in the back. An I don't think by these animated corpses. Don't s'pose ya gotta light there, Trace?" She removed Leroux's gun belt as he didn't have need of it anymore and walked back over by Trace. She extended the gun belt to him. "Longarms are great s'long as these things'r further back'n how long yer arm is. This might be more helpful when they ain't."
Trace Hargrave
player, 37 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R0 B0
Tue 8 Nov 2016
at 17:48
  • msg #98

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave accepted the gunbelt, regarding it for a moment, certain that its workmanship was superior to the worn rig that he wore. Pulling his coat back, he revealed the rarely drawn Colt Frontier at his hip. "I've used one from time to time, when the need arises," he explained, "but it's just never felt quite natural to me." He draped the cajun's belt over his left shoulder.

Reaching into his coat pocket, he produced a tallow candle which he'd used on those few occasions he had to have a little light during nighttime watch. He was always wary of its use, for fear of giving his position away. Finding a match, he struck it on his boot heel and lit the candle, holding it up to provide Cox with reading light.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 122 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Tue 8 Nov 2016
at 18:34
  • msg #99

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy nodded at Trace's response, though appeared particularly glad when he brought forth a candle. She tipped the brim of her hat upwards with the barrel of her pistol, then stepped close to Trace so her right shoulder touched his left. She held out the letter in her left hand so they could both read what was written.
Bill Johnson
NPC, 1 post
Envious Brother
P6 T9 Cha -4 F0 W0 Harrow
Tue 8 Nov 2016
at 19:29
  • msg #100

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The blood-spattered letter reads thusly:

quote:
$2000?

Well, alright. Reckon I need all the extra hands I can get to handle all my brother's beeves, and his herd's worth three times that.

Reckon you have a deal, Frenchie. Meet me at the graveyard at sundown. I wanna if this stuff works like you say. If it do, I'll take care of you.

Bill Johnson

Trace Hargrave
player, 39 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R0 B0
Tue 8 Nov 2016
at 20:53
  • msg #101

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

"Bill...Johnson," Hargrave said quietly. Scowling, he stepped over to Leroux's body, regarding the railroad man's broken remains.

"Mr. Johnson...Earl...he didn't know the identities of the rustlers that were cutting into his herd. I'm not sure he cared. They were thieves and he wanted them stopped. But now, I'm thinking that this whole time, they were acting on Bill's orders." He shook his head. "His own brother."

His stomach knotting, Hargrave looked about at the empty graves nearby, taking a brief count of how many he could see that lay open.
The Stray
GM, 1853 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Wed 9 Nov 2016
at 06:50
  • msg #102

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

There are more than six graves opened. More than a dozen. It would take time to count them all, but there might be as many as a score.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 123 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Wed 9 Nov 2016
at 07:24
  • msg #103

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy looked over at Trace as he spoke. She let his revelation hang in the air for a few moments, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She slid the letter inside her duster, depositing it into an interior pocket.

She looked around at the other empty graves, then toward the town. "Sometimes family loves each other. Sometimes it's hate. Seems like Bill Johnson might be that fella yer gonna get ta arrest, Deputy. But first, it seems like there's more'n just the ones we put down here. If yer guns're loaded, I think we need ta get back ta the main parta town an' see what's goin' on there."
The Stray
GM, 1860 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Tue 15 Nov 2016
at 01:56
  • msg #104

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: Trace? You're up.))
Trace Hargrave
player, 45 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R0 B0
Tue 15 Nov 2016
at 04:41
  • msg #105

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave kept his rifle free as he walked alongside Cox at a hurried pace back to Socorro. Earl and his hands were the only people he knew in this stretch of the Staked Plains, yet he suddenly felt a responsibility to protect everyone that called it home, even those he found reprehensible. Regardless of what they'd done, they didn't deserve to be left to the mercy of monsters.

"Earl rarely speaks of Bill," he explained. "I gather they had some kind of falling out. From what I understand, they haven't seen one another in years. Some time ago, Bill went off to fight in the Rail Wars." Even as he mentioned it, he idly wondered if he and Bill might have crossed paths in Denver.

As they drew closer to the Mission and the town, he narrowed his eyes, studying the gloom for any hint of threat.

22:37, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 5,4 using 1d8+2,1d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2.  Notice.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 131 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Tue 15 Nov 2016
at 13:58
  • msg #106

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy nodded at the explanation as they moved toward the main part of town. "Rail Wars can change a person. Any kinda war can. Sometimes fer the better, sometimes not. Do ya know which side Bill was fightin' fer?"

The Ranger also peered into the night, trying to pick out anything that might be out of the ordinary.


05:57, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 3,5 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,5.  Notice.
Townsfolk
NPC, 13 posts
The Salt of the Earth.
P4 T5 F0 Extra
Tue 15 Nov 2016
at 15:39
  • msg #107

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

As Katy and Trace get to the main part of town, they see what looks like an impromptu posse forming. Barkeep has a lantern and is shouting something about shots in the graveyard. "It's them Mexicans!" he shouts. "They're stormin' the Rio Grande! Santa Anna's comin' to finish us off!"
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 132 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Tue 15 Nov 2016
at 16:24
  • msg #108

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy slid her sidearm back in her holster as she approached the townfolk. "Whoa up, there, folks. Shots y'all heard fired in the graveyard were mostly mine." Katy pulled back the right side of her duster exposing the badge pinned there. She tossed a thumb toward Trace. "We're with the Texas Rangers. Found that cajun that left yer saloon some time ago robbin' graves. Seems like he mighta had some accomplices. Y'all see anyone headin' this way from the graveyard, ceptin' us?"
Trace Hargrave
player, 46 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R0 B0
Tue 15 Nov 2016
at 16:35
  • msg #109

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave shook his head in response to Cox's question about Bill. "Earl never mentioned who his brother fought for. I'm sure I could ask him. I'd be especially curious to know if it was Dixie Rails."

When Cox addresssed the agitated crowd, Hargrave hung back, letting her handle things. She was the Ranger, after all. He remained vigilant as she spoke, alert for any signs of trouble.
The Stray
GM, 1863 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Tue 15 Nov 2016
at 18:06
  • msg #110

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: make me a Persuasion check, Katy.))
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 135 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Tue 15 Nov 2016
at 18:24
  • msg #111

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy could be quite persuasive at times. Especially in Texas.

OOC: +2 is for the badge. 19 total.
10:21, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 19,5 using d6+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of (6+6+5)17,3.  Persuasion.

Townsfolk
NPC, 14 posts
The Salt of the Earth.
P4 T5 F0 Extra
Tue 15 Nov 2016
at 19:18
  • msg #112

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

There's a muttering from the crowd, and several nod their heads.

"Yup."

"Knew it. You can't trust them Cajuns."

"We'll find 'em, ma'am, and string 'em up fer ya!"

"Yeah!"

"Bet them accomplices were Mexicans. You know how they are."

Yeesh. Some people just stuck to a wrong-headed idea no matter how wrong it was.

"Anyone see which way them varmints went?" Barkeep yells at the crowd.

There's a whole lot of shrugging and mutters on the "nope" side.

A fellow with gold capped teeth steps up. "Hey...you think they might be headin' to the hills? There's some gulches there that make good hideouts." He coughs and looks around. "Er, so I heard, anyhow."
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:19, Tue 15 Nov 2016.
Trace Hargrave
player, 47 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R0 B0
Tue 15 Nov 2016
at 19:44
  • msg #113

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave stepped over to Cox. Keeping his voice low, he said, "The hills he's talking about, they're about ten miles outside of town. If we made the ride there, we'd end up passing through Earl Johnson's spread on the way."

He frowned, then added, "They'd make a good hideout for someone aiming to do mischief at the Johnson Ranch."
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 137 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Wed 16 Nov 2016
at 00:33
  • msg #114

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy nodded at the responses from the hastily formed posse. Her lips drew into a thin line at the information about the hills. She didn't terribly like riding at night. Sometimes an exception was needed, however.

She nodded at Trace. "Let's you and I make the ride out there, then. Resta ya folks oughta get back inside fer now, but someone's gonna need ta clean up after the grave robber. But do that it in the mornin'. Not this evenin'. I'll let the padre know on the way outta town."

She turned to Trace. "Time ta saddle up."
The Stray
GM, 1866 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Wed 16 Nov 2016
at 19:38
  • msg #115

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

some mood music

Paul Revere once rode through the midnight hour to warn American patriots of danger headed their way. Though the CSA was no longer part of the union that had formed in 1776, the people within still revered the founding fathers, still told the stories.

So it was that two riders took off from the comforts of Socorro, slim though they were, to warn folks of danger.

But danger had already come.

Off in the distance, several miles away, Katy and Trace spoted light on the prairie. The only thing that could make a blaze like that was something massive on fire. Something like, say, a ranch house. And the air was filled with the snapping of distant gunfire.

The ranch was under attack.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 139 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Wed 16 Nov 2016
at 23:20
  • msg #116

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

"Gunfire." As if there was any chance Trace hadn't heard. Katy quickly and easily slipped her pistol out of its holster. "Looks like we're the cavalry, cowboy." It wasn't the first time Rangers had provided mounted relief to the besieged. And it wouldn't be the last.

"Let's see what all that commotion's 'bout. He-ya!" Katy urged Isabelle to a gallop and pointed her toward the sounds of gunfire.
Trace Hargrave
player, 48 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R0 B0
Thu 17 Nov 2016
at 15:15
  • msg #117

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave nodded in silent agreement, urging his appaloosa stallion, Scout, forward to keep pace with Cox. His face was lined with sudden worry. Earl Johnson had only been his employer for a matter of weeks, but in that short time, he'd grown to respect the man. He had seemed honest, scrupulously so, and spoke more than once of how he found his work, his connection to the land, rewarding, despite the frequent hardships that came with being a cattleman. He and his hands had welcomed Hargrave as one of their own, treating him as though he had worked alongside them for years.

One thing was certain: None of them deserved this kind of betrayal. He only hoped that he and Cox were not too late to help save them and all they had worked to build.
The Johnson Ranch
Fri 18 Nov 2016
at 17:51
  • msg #118

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr-6FuwOFNA">some mood music</a>

The two riders race toward the flames.

The main house is ablaze. It's certainly dooms, as is anyone still inside if something isn't done fast. There's a woman screaming from somewhere inside...sounds like the second floor. An older man and a small boy lie unconscious a short distance from the front door, probably overcome by the smoke.

The gunfire seems to be coming from a knot of riders surrounding the bunkhouses. There's gunfire from within the bunks--some of Earl's hired hands defending themselves.

At the other end of the ranch, horses scream as black figures slam on the barn's doors and walls. The black figures moan hideously.

((OOC: Alrighty! So I'll give you a bit to figure out which problem you wish to tackle first (or if you're splitting up to do multiple things), then we'll draw initiative. Here's a map of the situation.))


Catherine Hays Cox
player, 140 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Sat 19 Nov 2016
at 19:37
  • msg #119

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

"Ain't lookin' good." Katy looked over at Trace. "This the Johnson place? Looks like we gotta lot on our hands." Katy's pistol was in hand. She pointed with it toward one of the second floor windows. "Mebbe we give the lady a way to hop onta one of our horses while givin' a hand ta those defendin' the bunkhouses? Ya know the layout better'n me, though."
Trace Hargrave
player, 49 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R0 B0
Sun 20 Nov 2016
at 20:01
  • msg #120

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

"The main house is the one on fire," Hargrave offered, "I think we should try to help those that are there first, then contend with the attackers." His eyes flickered to the older man that had fallen on the porch and he wondered if it was Earl Johnson.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 141 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Mon 21 Nov 2016
at 13:30
  • msg #121

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy nodded. "Main house it is." Katy spurred her mount into motion again. "Ya!" She was headed toward the main house and the screams of whomever was trapped inside.
Trace Hargrave
player, 50 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R0 B0
Mon 21 Nov 2016
at 17:56
  • msg #122

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Leaving his rifle in its boot, Hargrave drew his Colt and followed Cox to the burning ranch house.
Caroline Johnson
NPC, 1 post
Homemaker
P4 T5 Cha +2 F0 Extra
Mon 21 Nov 2016
at 18:39
  • msg #123

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The house is cheerily burning by the time Katy and Trace close in. The man on the ground is, indeed, Earl Johnson, and he's clutching his son Connor close to him. Both of them are unconcious, but still breathing, though the smoke is obviously getting to them to judge by the coughs.

The screams sound like they're coming from the second floor. "EARL!? EARL!? WHERE ARE YOU!? EAAAAAAAAARL!"
Trace Hargrave
player, 51 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R0 B0
Tue 22 Nov 2016
at 12:51
  • msg #124

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave paused to tie a bandanna over his mouth and nose, then kicked the front door open, his eyes searching for a clear path upstairs.

06:49, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 9,5 using 1d8+2,1d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 7,3.  Notice.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 143 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Wed 23 Nov 2016
at 16:05
  • msg #125

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy called after Trace. "Trace, ain't it easier ta get em out the second floor? With our horses, we ain't so far down."
The Stray
GM, 1873 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Wed 23 Nov 2016
at 16:32
  • msg #126

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

There does appear to be a path through the burning building, though Katy's suggestion does have merit.

((OOC: It'll require an Agility check to get through the building to avoid damage. It'll require a Climbing skill check to get up the walls to the second floor, if you decide to go that way. either way, you'll have to make some Vigor checks to avoid fatigue from the smoke, though the bandanna will give you a bonus on those.))
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 144 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Wed 23 Nov 2016
at 16:51
  • msg #127

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy dismounted and grabbed the reins of Trace's horse so it didn't bolt while Trace was picking his way through the fire. She looked for a good spot to tie up the mounts in case it became necessary.
The Stray
GM, 1874 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Fri 25 Nov 2016
at 03:24
  • msg #128

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: While I'm waiting for Trace to decide exactly what he's doing and make the required rolls, I'd like you to make me a Notice check, Katy.))
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 145 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Fri 25 Nov 2016
at 03:50
  • msg #129

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Notice of 3.
Trace Hargrave
player, 52 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R0 B0
Fri 25 Nov 2016
at 04:01
  • msg #130

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Looking at the interior of the burning building, Hargrave realized that Cox's suggestion of climbing was likely the wiser course. Moving to the left of the door, he searched for handholds on the house that he could use to pull himself up to the second floor, but despite his best efforts, he wasn't able to scrabble up there.

21:57, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 1,2 using 1d4-2,1d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,4.  Climbing.
The Stray
GM, 1875 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Fri 25 Nov 2016
at 04:15
  • msg #131

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy wrangles the horses, keeping them calm. They seem quite skittish all of a sudden...is it the flames? Or can they smell the walking dead men?

Trace isn't able to get purchase enough to climb up. Looks like he's going to have to do this the hard way.

((OOC: Alrighty. Looks like you need to go in, then. I'm going to need a Vigor roll and an Agility roll from you. The Vigor roll is to avoid fatigue from smoke inhalation, and the Agility roll is to navigate through the building without getting hurt.

I award you 1 random chip for this act of bravery.))

Trace Hargrave
player, 54 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R1 B0
Fri 25 Nov 2016
at 08:59
  • msg #132

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Tightening his bandanna, Hargrave charged into the building, dashing up the stairs with all the speed he could muster.

02:55, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 5,1 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,1.  Vigor.

02:55, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 1,4 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,4.  Agility.

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 146 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Sun 27 Nov 2016
at 18:02
  • msg #133

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy yelled after Trace. "If ya can't come back this way, just out the second floor winda! Yell if ya need help!" It didn't make sense for both of them to run in at the same time. But Katy would charge in after Trace if he got trapped.
Caroline Johnson
NPC, 2 posts
Homemaker
P4 T5 Cha +2 F0 Extra
Tue 6 Dec 2016
at 17:40
  • msg #134

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Trace rushes through the burning building, avoiding the flames and, at one point, a collapsing roof timber. he makes it upstairs without a scratch, and heads for the woman's screams (which seem to be fading).

He finds Caroline Johnson, Earl's wife, in their bedroom on the second floor. She's sobbing and coughing, and doesn't seem to be taking in the surroundings much. "Earl?" she gasps. "Connor?"
Trace Hargrave
player, 55 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R1 B0
Wed 7 Dec 2016
at 14:22
  • msg #135

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave gently gripped Caroline by the shoulders. "Missus Johnson? It's me! Trace Hargrave! Connor and Earl are already safe! We need to get you out of here!"

As disoriented as Mrs. Johnson seemed, Hargrave doubted that she could navigate the dangerous stairwell, or if it could even safely bear their weight now. He moved to the nearest window that faced the front of the house and tried to throw it open, breaking the glass with his elbow if it refused to budge.
Caroline Johnson
NPC, 3 posts
Homemaker
P4 T5 Cha +2 F0 Extra
Wed 21 Dec 2016
at 20:27
  • msg #136

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

"Trace...?" Caroline gasps, then starts coughing hard. The window, thankfully, wasn't barred, and Trace is able to open in easily.

Outside in the darkness, Katy hears some shouts from the bunkhouses. "Hey! Turn round, you maggots! Gid-yup! Get them!"

Then, the thunder of hooves...the raiders are heading their way!
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 151 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R1B0L0
Wed 21 Dec 2016
at 23:26
  • msg #137

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy yelled up at Trace to make certain he understood the situation. "We got unpleasant company comin', Trace! Get 'er down here and let's deal with these fellas."

OOC: Distance to the raiders? What are they armed with, and are they pointing guns at Katy?
Black Riders
NPC, 1 post
From Hell's Heart
P6 T8 Cha - F0 Extra
Mon 26 Dec 2016
at 21:48
  • msg #138

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: The closest of the riders is about 12" away, but they're on horseback and closing fast. They look to be armed with Peacemakers, and yes, they are pointed in your general direction.

Waiting on Trace's action before I develop this scenario))

Trace Hargrave
player, 57 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R1 B0
Wed 28 Dec 2016
at 02:06
  • msg #139

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

OOC: Quick question for my own understanding. Now that the window is open, where does it lead? To a portion of the roof? Could the top of the covered porch be reached from there? Or is it a single story drop to the ground?
The Stray
GM, 1887 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Wed 28 Dec 2016
at 03:04
  • msg #140

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: There's a map further up the thread if you want more of a reference, but the window leads to a small patch of sloped roof, which then leads to a drop. It's possible to get to the porch along the roof, but would take an Agility check to navigate.))
Trace Hargrave
player, 59 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R0 B0
Sun 1 Jan 2017
at 16:01
  • msg #141

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Choosing his steps carefully, Hargrave led Caroline down the sloping roof toward the covered porch. As they moved, he tried to devote the whole of his concentration to seeing the woman to safety, not allowing himself to be distracted by the swiftly approaching marauders.

09:46, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 3,3 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3.  Agility.

I really don't want Mrs. Johnson harmed on my account, so...

09:48, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 2 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2.  Red Chip - Agility.

Which will bring the Agility total to 5.

The Stray
GM, 1890 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Wed 4 Jan 2017
at 01:12
  • msg #142

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: Take a random Fate Chip for heroism, Trace.

I think we need to break into combat rounds now, so draw me some initiative cards. Be aware that since you're back-lit,

Black Riders: 8C))



Map of the immediate area

Trace Hargrave
player, 61 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R0 B0
Wed 4 Jan 2017
at 02:28
  • msg #143

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

20:25, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: RJ! using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 154 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R2B0L0
Wed 4 Jan 2017
at 04:18
  • msg #144

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

20:16, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: 4D using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.
The Stray
GM, 1893 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Thu 5 Jan 2017
at 16:20
  • msg #145

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Turn Order
Trace: RJ!
Black Riders: 8C
Katy: 4D
Caroline: not a combatant

Trace Hargrave
player, 63 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R0 B0
Fri 6 Jan 2017
at 01:56
  • msg #146

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Yelling to Caroline to get down, Hargrave unslung his rifle and dropped to his stomach on the roof of the porch, snapping off a shot at the closest of the approaching riders.

Drawing Rifle (Multi Action)

19:34, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 8,4 using 1d8+2,1d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 6,2.  Agility.

Free Action: Drop Prone

Shooting at Rider (Northernmost Rider on Map; Multi Action)

19:38, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 4,4 using 1d10+1,1d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3.  Shooting.

If that's a hit...

19:40, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 8 using 2d10+2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,2.  Damage - Rifle.

19:53, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: AS using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Black Riders
NPC, 2 posts
From Hell's Heart
P6 T8 Cha - F0 Extra
Tue 10 Jan 2017
at 19:28
  • msg #147

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Trace's aim is true, and the rider pitches from its horse, gets dragged along behind it by it's boot for a few moments, then the boot flies free and the rider lands in a crumpled heap. It does not move.

The other riders charge, and as they ride closer to the firelight, it's clear that most of them are dead men riding. Their rotten flesh hangs from their bones, their clothes are worm-eaten and moldy, and one of them even has a bare skull. Despite their deadness, they move like living men, raising pistols and snapping off shots at Katy and Trace.

The most alive-looking of the bunch, a rough-looking man with a ragged scar over one eye and a distinct resemblance to the man passed out by the door, rides out in front.

"This ain't none of your affair!" He shouts. "This here is justice a long time in commin', and you're outnumbered! My boys will rip the flesh from your hides with their teeth if you don't run off!"

He points to the barn. The shambling dead have stopped trying to tear it down and are now shuffling towards the inferno, moaning.

"See them?" the scarred man shouts. "They're comin' for ya, and you ain't got enough bullets for all of them! Run now while you still can, and maybe you'll see the sun again!"


((OOC: That will make the Rider Shaken, which means it needs to make a Ride check to remain on its horse. As it doesn't have Ride, this is a Default roll.

12:00, Today: Black Riders rolled 0 using 1d4-2, rerolling max with rolls of 2.  Ride.

Nope. Down it goes. It takes 2d6 damage from the fall. It winds up taking 8 damage, enough to Shake it again, which instead means it suffers a Wound and goes down for the count. One Rider gone.

The Riders go next. Bill Johnson attempts an Intimidate Test of Wills on Katy. He has Strong Willed, so he gets a +2 bonus on this.

12:08, Today: Bill Johnson rolled 6,9 using d6+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,(6+1)7.  Intimidate ToW.

Katy, roll Spirit to resist.

Meanwhile, the Riders take shots. Two shoot at Katy, two shoot at Trace. Trace has Cover from being Prone, and the deaders are firing from an Unstable Platform. They move this round, so they don't get the benefit of their Marksman edges.

Vs. Katy: 12:11, Today: Black Riders rolled 3,1 using d10-2,d10-2, rerolling max with rolls of 5,3.

Vs. Trace: 12:12, Today: Black Riders rolled 1,-3 using d10-4,d10-4, rerolling max with rolls of 5,1.

The deaders around the barn notice the commotion, and begin shambling towards the house. They move their Pace, and that's all for their action.

Rider card: 6D))


Katy is next!
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 155 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R2B0L0
Tue 10 Jan 2017
at 20:00
  • msg #148

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

11:43, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 14,11 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+6+2)14,(6+5)11.  Spirit.

Katy sighed heavily at the sight of the dedders on horseback, but the suggestion that she might take off, well, that just made her dig her heels in even more. The Black Riders apparently weren't aware of her stubborn streak. "Dammit Bill, ya disappoint me. Such a disappointment. Here I done promised th' deputy he could arrest some livin' folk. And here ya show up like this. And ya jus' know I can't let ya keep on like that."

She briefly considered the shambling-on-foot dedders. "May not have enough bullets fer them, but I gottanuff fer you."

Her weapon was already pointed in the general direction of who she assumed was Bill Johnson. Nothing left for it but to squeeze the trigger and fan the hammer to fill the air with lead.

OOC: Half of them hit, but damage isn't so great. 6,7,6 for the 3 bullets that connect (all AP 1)


11:58, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 6,7,6 using 2d6+1,2d6+1,2d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3,1,5,2,3.  Damages.
11:57, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 2,5,1,4,7,2,1 using d8-2,d8-2,d8-2,d8-2,d8-2,d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,7,3,6,(8+1)9,4,3.  Fan that hammer.

Edit:
12:00, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: 8H using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

This message was last edited by the player at 20:01, Tue 10 Jan 2017.
Bill Johnson
NPC, 2 posts
Envious Brother
P6 T9 Cha -4 F0 W0 Harrow
Sun 15 Jan 2017
at 00:38
  • msg #149

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The bullets rip through the man with the scar, who jerks around...but doesn't fall. He sticks a finger in one of the bloody holes in his chest, and pulls it out. It's wet with blood that's gone very, very dark.

"Is that a fact?" He smirks. "Somehow, I gots my doubts."

((OOC: Nope, that damage isn't going to bother Bill in the least, sad to say. None of those do enough to even make him Shaken.))

Turn Order
Trace: AS
Katy: 8H
Riders: 6D

Trace Hargrave
player, 64 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R0 B0
Mon 16 Jan 2017
at 04:22
  • msg #150

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave whispered for the aid of the landvaettir, but the wights did not reply. Remaining focused on the battle before him, he centered the sights of his rifle on Johnson's head and squeezed off another shot.

Free Action: Activate Smite

21:49, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 2,1 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,1.  Hexslinging.

21:55, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 6,3 using 1d10-1,1d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 7,4.  Shooting - Called Shot - Head.

21:56, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 15 using 2d10+4, rerolling max with rolls of 8,3.  Damage - Rifle.

21:58, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: QH using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

The Stray
GM, 1903 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Mon 16 Jan 2017
at 04:33
  • msg #151

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: Trace, can you run me through all the bonuses and penalties you're taking into account there? I think it's -4 (Called Shot), +1 (Trademark Weapon), +2 (Marksman) but I want to make sure I've got that right.))
Trace Hargrave
player, 65 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R0 B0
Mon 16 Jan 2017
at 04:39
  • msg #152

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

OOC: Yes, sir. What you've listed (Called Shot/Marksman/Trademark Weapon) is precisely what I used to determine the final modifier.
Bill Johnson
NPC, 3 posts
Envious Brother
P6 T9 Cha -4 F0 W0 Harrow
Mon 16 Jan 2017
at 19:03
  • msg #153

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The shot is good, and in a decent world, the man would be down. But whatever Bill Johnson had become, in the years since he left home, it had made him something...other.

The bullet hits the man right in his already-scarred eye, and he jerks...but still does not fall. He looks up at the house, in the general area where Trace was, black blood oozing down his face. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you none. Get 'em, boys!"

((OOC: That's going to be a Wound for Bill, so he spends a chip and attempts to soak.

11:58, Today: Bill Johnson rolled 5,5 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,5.  Soak.

He soaks, but is down to 1 chip.))


Katy is up!
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 160 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W4R2B0L0
Tue 17 Jan 2017
at 14:32
  • msg #154

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy's gun spat out the spent cylinder as she slapped another one in, then repeated the hail of lead she had just sent Bill's way moments before. Seemed like a couple of them connected, but based on what she'd just seen - it was hard to say if that would be good enough to take the dedder down.

OOC: Two hits, 9 and 10 damage. QD initiative.

06:27, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 9,10 using 3d6+1,2d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1,4,4,5.  Damages.
06:27, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 2,1,10,2,3,5,3 using d8-2,d8-2,d8-2,d8-2,d8-2,d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,3,(8+4)12,4,5,7,5.  Raining lead.


06:31, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: QD using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

This message was last edited by the player at 14:32, Tue 17 Jan 2017.
Black Riders
NPC, 3 posts
From Hell's Heart
P6 T8 Cha - F0 Extra
Wed 18 Jan 2017
at 05:16
  • msg #155

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

"Bitch, I am gettin' real sick o' you." Bill growls as he's peppered with shots again. He waves to two of his riders, which close in, leap off their horses near the collapsed Earl and son, and start dragging the older man back.

The other deaders return fire. One of them hits the cornice near Trace's head, sending a spray of chips into the sharpshooter's face. The other catches Katy in the shoulder...it's only a graze, but it hurts.

Then Bill himself aims his gun at the Ranger. "Have a taste yourself." he says, and fires. This shot clips Katy in the thigh...

And meanwhile, the horde of walkin' dead moans and draws ever closer.

((OOC: That's two Shaken results, which is a Wound for Bill. He spends his other chip and attempts to Soak.

21:49, Today: Bill Johnson rolled 7,2 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,2.  Soak. That's a success, but now he's out of chips and has to rely on the GM's stash, which is pretty thin thanks to the other fights in other threads.

The Black Riders go next.

Bill orders two of the Riders to go grab Earl, while the other two take potshots at the pair.

The two going after Earl move, dismount, and make a cooperative Strength check to pick up Earl

21:55, Today: Black Riders rolled 2,2 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2.  Strength. Fail. Must be all them biscuits & gravy. They spend a GM chip for a reroll.

21:56, Today: Black Riders rolled 3,5 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,5.  white chip. Success.

They load him on a horse, but that eats up the rest of their turn.

The two taking shots don't move, so they get their Marskman bonus to their shots. This cancels out the Unstable Platform penalties they have, but doesn't do much to get around Trace's cover.

Vs. Trace: 21:58, Today: Black Riders rolled 4 using 1d10-2, rerolling max with rolls of 6.  Shooting (Cover). Hit.

Damage: 7, which will make Trace Shaken.

Vs. Katy: 22:00, Today: Black Riders rolled 6 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 6.  Shooting. Hit.

Damage: 7, which means Katy is also Shaken.

Bill gets his action. He's not fond of being filled by bullets by Katy, so he shoots at her. He also has Marksman to cancel out his Unsteady Platform penalty.

22:02, Today: Bill Johnson rolled 3,4 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,4.  Shooting.

Damage: 10, which will be a Wound unless Katy Soaks.

The shuffling horde move 6 squares closer.

Card: 5D))





Turn Order
Trace: QH, Shaken
Katy: QD, Needs to resolve a roll
Black Riders: 5D

Trace Hargrave
player, 66 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1 R0 B0
Wed 18 Jan 2017
at 16:36
  • msg #156

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave shifted his attention to the riders loading Earl on their horse. His stomach went cold as he briefly considered what the dead men might do to the rancher, a man who, by all accounts, was honest and honorable, and had treated him like a trusted cowhand who had been in his employ for decades.

He took aim, whispering more insistently to the landvaettir, virtually demanding their aid. The wights answered with a spiritual shriek he felt in the back of his skull, a sharp, hollow sensation he had to wrestle with momentarily in order to retain his focus.

Letting out a slow breath through his teeth, he fired at one of the riders.

08:57, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 4,2 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,2.  Spirit.

That unshakes Hargrave from the injury, but...

Free Action: Activate Smite

08:59, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 1,5 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,5.  Hexslinging.

The power activates, thanks to the Wild Die, but the 1 on the Hexslinging die means Hargrave is immediately shaken, so I'll burn a White Chip to unshake.

09:02, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 7,7 using 1d10+3,1d6+3, rerolling max with rolls of 4,4.  Shooting.

09:10, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 13 using 2d10+2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,9.  Damage.

10:31, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: 7D using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Black Riders
NPC, 4 posts
From Hell's Heart
P6 T8 Cha - F0 Extra
Wed 18 Jan 2017
at 19:50
  • msg #157

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The pain was worth it, as the shot takes the rider's head clean off and it drops. The other one continues hauling Earl towards its horse.

((OOC: That's a Wound, which downs the Rider. 3 left.))

Katy's up next!
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 164 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W3R3B0L0
Thu 19 Jan 2017
at 08:20
  • msg #158

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy looked around at the advancing dedders. She'd like to recall a more difficult spot than the one she currently faced, but she was having a hard time coming up with anything. The bullet that hit Katy in the thigh tore out a bit of flesh and made her wince as she covered it with her hand.

00:05, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 13,2 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+5)13,2.  Soak.

Katy still thought the key to this whole thing was one Bill Johnson, but she wasn't keen on letting the riders do what they wanted with Earl. She slapped a fresh cylinder in her gun after releasing the spent one, and took aim at the rider trying to load the ranch owner on a horse. This time she only squeezed the trigger once, and her aim was true.

15 to hit and 15 damage.

00:12, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 15 using 3d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+1)7,5.  Damage.
00:12, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 15,4 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+7)15,4.  Shooting.

08:39, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: JS using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.


"I got plenty of lead, Bill. Yer next." Katy's shoulder was starting to bleed a bit, as was her thigh. And she'd taken a few hits in the graveyard. Just another day in the life of a Ranger.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:50, Wed 25 Jan 2017.
Black Riders
NPC, 5 posts
From Hell's Heart
P6 T8 Cha - F0 Extra
Fri 27 Jan 2017
at 01:06
  • msg #159

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy's shot takes down the rider, but even as she's challenging Bill one of the remaining riders wings her. As she reels from shock and pain, Bill spurs his mount forward, slides down alongside his horse, and hauls Earl up and onto the saddle!

"So long, folks!" he grins. "Enjoy bein' deader chow!"

Then he spurs his mount hard, and disappears around the corner of the house, his prize still in his clutches!

The remaining riders continue to fire on the two. One of them wings Trace again, just a graze but it hurts. The other spurs its horse and charges straight for Katy! Luckily, she's able to duck.

And still the horde grows closer, and closer...their dead eyes gleam in the firelight.

"EARL!" Caroline screams. "EAAAAAAAAAAARL!"

((OOC: Whoops, thought I'd posted here.

That shot will take down another Rider, leaving Bill, 2 more Riders, and the horde of undead.

The undead horde continues to shamble closer. It'll be a round or two before they're really in range to cause much harm, but they are closing in.

Bill decides to take matters into his own hands and goes to grab Earl himself. He moves 3 squares and makes a Strength check to haul Earl up on his saddle.

17:35, Today: Bill Johnson rolled 4,5 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,5.  Strength.

Success. He angles Earl so that the man is between him and you guys, so he's got Medium Cover and there's an Innocent Bystander at risk.

The two remaining riders split their shots again, one aiming for Trace and one aiming for Katy. The one shooting for Trace moves to cover the boss, while the other remains still to get the benefit of its Marksman ability.

Vs. Trace: 17:38, Today: Black Riders rolled 2 using 1d10-2, rerolling max with rolls of 4.  Shooting (Cover). Miss.

Vs. Katy: 17:38, Today: Black Riders rolled 9 using 1d10+2, rerolling max with rolls of 7.  Shooting (Marksman). Hit and Raise

Damage: 13. That's a Wound for Katy unless she soaks.

Card: AS

Well, that's not good. The bad guys get to go first.

So with his action, Bill rides away, Running and keeping Earl between him and the shooters. He gets a 6 on his Run die, so he gets to move 14 squares. This will put him around the corner, giving him Heavy Cover (-4 to hit) unless you guys move to get a more clear shot.

The zombie horde continues to shamble forward. They are now perilously close, and are between you and Bill.

The Riders change tactics. The one firing at Trace takes time to get use out of Marksman to cancel out the Cover, while the other one just Charges and attempts to run Katy down.

Vs. Trace: 17:52, Today: Black Riders rolled 7 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 7.  Shooting. Hit, no Raise.

Damage: 7. That'll make Trace Shaken

Vs. Katy: 17:53, Today: Black Riders rolled 4 using 1d8, rerolling max with rolls of 4.  Fighting (Charge!). Miss (was reading it wrong...Charge adds to Damage, not the attack)

next Round Card: AC))




Turn Order
Black Riders: AS
Katy: JS, needs to Soak 1 Wound
Trace: 7D, Shaken

This message was last edited by the player at 01:09, Fri 27 Jan 2017.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 169 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W3R3B0L0
Fri 27 Jan 2017
at 14:50
  • msg #160

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

OOC: How fast is that horde moving? It looks like 3 or more of them might be able to attack Katy next round? Also, I assume that even while mounted, Katy moving at all will provide a free attack to the Black Rider that is adjacent to her? Also, the two black riders that are dead - their horses remained where they were, correct?
The Stray
GM, 1943 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Fri 27 Jan 2017
at 17:20
  • msg #161

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: The horde is moving their pace of 6 each turn, though through use of moving diagonally some can close the distance better than others. Still, 3 or 4 seems to be right. Yes, without Withdrawing you'd provoke an opportunity attack from the Black Rider near you.

The horses of the Black Riders that were downed are milling about in the general area where they fell, yes. They are zombie horses, now that Katy can see them clearly -- normal horses probably wouldn't go anywhere near them.))

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 170 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1R2B0L0
Fri 27 Jan 2017
at 18:31
  • msg #162

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy yelped as another bullet bit into her flesh, though it seemed to be another graze. She slapped a hand on yet another source of blood and fired at the closest rider hoping it would give her a moment to move further away from the undead horde moving their direction.

She pointed out the state of the other horses to Trace. "Them horses what ridden by these things, they're, uh, sickly. Get her up on yer mount and let's finish these riders 'fore takin' off after Earl. Keep some distance between that mob and yerself."

OOC: Katy is going to shoot and move this turn, which should give her an unstable platform penalty.

Used a white to soak, and a white and red to hit the rider next to Katy for 12 damage (AP1)

She will then move a square NW, then 3 W, provoking an attack from the rider she leaves (if he soaks) and putting her within melee range of the other rider (though she doesn't leave it's melee range so I don't think she will be further assaulted for free).

09:44, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: 6H using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.
09:44, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 12 using 2d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+3)9.  Damage.
09:43, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 4 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4.  red chip.
09:42, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 3,3 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 5,5.  Reroll (white chip).
09:41, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 1,-1 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1.  Shooting (Unstable).
09:36, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 5,4 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,4.  Soak.

Caroline Johnson
NPC, 4 posts
Homemaker
P4 T5 Cha +2 F0 Extra
Fri 27 Jan 2017
at 18:40
  • msg #163

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The rider falls at Katy's shot, and she's able to move without taking further attack.

Caroline points down at the ground, toward the crumbled boy that had been laying next to Earl. "Conner! you have to get Conner! Those thing's...they'll kill him!" She cries.
Trace Hargrave
player, 67 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1 R0 B0
Sat 28 Jan 2017
at 00:50
  • msg #164

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave hissed though his teeth as a bullet grazed his shoulder. Doing his best to follow Cox's instructions he drew a bead on the last rider. "Missus Johnson!" he yelled, trying to be heard over the gunfire, "We're going to keep Conner safe and get Earl back! But I need you to listen! You've got to climb down so we can get to my horse! I'll be right behind you!"

He exhaled and squeezed the trigger.

18:02, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 4,4 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,4.  Spirit.

Just enough to undo the shaken condition.

18:04, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 8,8 using 1d10+3,1d6+3, rerolling max with rolls of 5,5.  Shooting.

18:05, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 9,3 using 2d10+2,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,2,3.  Damage.

Total Damage: 12

18:08, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: 9C using a deck of 54 cards. Initiative

Caroline Johnson
NPC, 5 posts
Homemaker
P4 T5 Cha +2 F0 Extra
Sat 28 Jan 2017
at 16:13
  • msg #165

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The rider pitches off its horse and lies still.

"Climb?" Caroline quavers. She swallows and nods. "Alright." She scrambles toward the edge of the roof, but it's quickly obvious she doesn't know what she's doing, and in her haste she loses her grip and falls, screaming, to the ground.

She lands hard, and curls into a ball, moaning in pain. In the firelight, the heads of the approaching horde turn her direction.

((OOC: Caroline tries to climb. Shes Defaulting on this.

09:06, Today: Caroline Johnson rolled 0 using 1d4-2, rerolling max with rolls of 2.  Climbing.

That's a fail. She falls, and takes 10 damage. That's a Wound, which she attempts to soak.

09:09, Today: Caroline Johnson rolled 5 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5.  Soak.

You got lucky, but now she's prone and doesn't have any movement left to stand and try to get anywhere.

Katy, I don't have a card from you.))

Trace Hargrave
player, 68 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1 R0 B0
Sat 28 Jan 2017
at 19:10
  • msg #166

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

OOC: Marshal, I think Fox's Initiative draw is at the top of her last series of dice rolls. It looks like she drew a 6H.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:13, Sat 28 Jan 2017.
Walkin' Dead
NPC, 14 posts
Tasty, tasty brains
P5 T7 F0 Cha - Extra
Sat 28 Jan 2017
at 19:29
  • msg #167

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy is quickly penned in by a wall of dead flesh. The moaning monsters surround her, biting and scratching at her with their bony fingers...

((OOC: Why, so it is. That means the zombies go first.

Bill Johnson continues Running, moving 15 squares total.

The walkin' dead head toward Katy and Caroline. The good news for Katy is that they can't get to Caroline without getting past her. The bad news for Katy is there's now a mob of ten zombies close enough to her to try to make a meal of her.

Only 3 can get at her this round. They get a +2 gang-up bonus on their attacks

12:20, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 5 using 1d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 3.  Fighting.
12:20, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 3,4 using d6+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 1,2.  Fighting.

Only one hit, no Raises.

Damage: 11. That's a Shaken and 1 Wound unless Katy soaks.

Card: 4C))



Turn Order
Walkin' Dead: AC
Trace: 9C
Katy: 6H, needs to soak 1 wound

This message was last edited by the player at 19:29, Sat 28 Jan 2017.
Trace Hargrave
player, 69 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1 R0 B0
Sat 28 Jan 2017
at 22:05
  • msg #168

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave dropped the rifle, allowing the weapon to roll off the slopes overhang. As he stood, his thoughts went to England, to his home there, and to Sibley, lost to him for what seemed an eternity now. Silently, he hoped she had found contentment and the life she'd hoped for. Drawing his bowie, he jabbed the point into his left forearm with all of the force he could manage. The knife bit deep, deeper than he had intended, and he felt abruptly unsteady, as though he was drunk on his feet. Staggering to the edge of the overhang, behind as many of the gathering undead as was possible, he shouted, "HEY! LOOK HERE! FRESH MEAT, YOU BASTARDS! COME AND GET ME!"

Shakily, he dropped off the roof to the ground.

15:31, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 6,7 using 1d8,1d4+1, rerolling max with rolls of 6,(4+2)6.  Damage - Bowie Knife.

Ouch! Naturally, the one time I want to roll low...

I believe that jab puts me at 2 Wounds and Shaken. To try to stay a little more functional, I'll burn my final white chip to soak...

15:33, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 2,3 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3.  Soak Roll - White Chip.

...but can't pull it off. I'm guessing I'd need an Agility roll to drop down safely...

15:38, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 2,1 using 1d8-2,1d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,3.  Agility.

...but that one goes south, too. I'll let you determine damage for the fall, Marshal. Hopefully, even if Hargrave is incapacitated, the smell of that much fresh blood will draw at least several of the zombies away from Cox and the Johnsons.

I doubt I'll need it, but just to be on the safe side:

16:02, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: 7S using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

The Stray
GM, 1949 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Sat 28 Jan 2017
at 22:11
  • msg #169

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: Um, wow. Alrighty. Take 2 random chips for that, because that was some epic RNG screwage there, and it plays right into your Code of Honor.))
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 172 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1R2B0L0
Sun 29 Jan 2017
at 01:46
  • msg #170

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

So, uh, a horse running full tilt into a mess of zombies might trample some of them, yes? Can you let me know if there is any such possibility and/or a rule to cover this possibility?
The Stray
GM, 1952 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Sun 29 Jan 2017
at 02:01
  • msg #171

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: Well, the horse can make attacks just like a character can, giving you additional attacks per round. You also have Hip Shooting, which is perfect for this sort of crowd control. You or your horse can also try to Push a zombie into other zombies.

The horse you have has the following stats:

War Horse
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d6, Strength d12+2, Vigor d10
Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d6
Pace: 8; Parry: 6; Toughness: 10
Special Abilities
  • Fleet-Footed: War horses roll a d8 when running instead of a d6.
  • Kick: Str+d4.
  • Size +3: Warhorses are large creatures bred for their power and stature.
))

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 173 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1R2B0L0
Sun 29 Jan 2017
at 03:29
  • msg #172

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

OOC: Also, I thought the zombies were only moving 6...did you miss Katy's movement from last round? I thought that movement would put her outside their shambling range.
The Stray
GM, 1953 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Sun 29 Jan 2017
at 03:57
  • msg #173

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: Did you? Why, so you did. Sorry about that...skip the soak roll, then.))
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 174 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1R2B0L0
Sun 29 Jan 2017
at 13:32
  • msg #174

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

"Dammit!"

Katy had hoped the woman of the house would be able to descend more easily than she had. She seemed to have not suffered any sort of broken bones, but she was going to need a moment to gather herself. The Ranger watched a bleeding Deputy come rolling down a moment later, landing in a heap nearby. Had he really stabbed himself to buy some time? With a sigh, Katy barked out orders to the now-prone Caroline Johnson. She gestured toward Trace's horse (which hopefully is smart enough not to be surrounded by zombies at this point?) "Caroline! Get your boy, and get on that horse. Head toward town!"

05:18, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 1,3 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,5.  Shooting (Unstable).

The ranger spun her horse about and fired a shot at the dedder that was closest to the child. It was ineffectual, unless the horde was scared away by loud noises. Which seemed awfully unlikely at this moment. But she couldn't let the boy be ripped to shreds while his mother watched, so Katy's course was rather clear. "Ya!"

The Ranger spurred her mount into motion again, and ran the horse at the zombies nearest to the boy. She tried to angle her mount so that she'd be able to knock over and trample as many of the dedders as she could. She gripped tightly as her mount surged beneath her, possibly for the last time.

7 on the strength roll for push (trying to trample zombies) plus any bonus for getting up some speed ahead of contact with the zombies?

Didn't know if the horse could also attack in the same round as the push (really not sure about mounted combat rules or animal attack rules) so I rolled a die just in case. Not that it mattered since it came up 3.

AD for next round.

05:27, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: AD using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.
05:26, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 3 using 1d8, rerolling max with rolls of 3.  Fighting? (mount).
05:25, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 9 using 1d12+2, rerolling max with rolls of 7.  Strength (mount,push).

This message was last edited by the player at 13:34, Sun 29 Jan 2017.
Walkin' Dead
NPC, 15 posts
Tasty, tasty brains
P5 T7 F0 Cha - Extra
Sun 29 Jan 2017
at 17:33
  • msg #175

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The force of the horse sends the deader reeling, of course. It falls over, taking several of the deaders around it down as well.

Caroline struggles up to her feet, then heads over to the fallen boy. "Momma's got you, don't worry..." She says to him as she heads for the horse. It looks like it's going to take her a few moments to mount up, though.

((OOC: Looks like a 9, not a 7, since the horse has a bonus to Strength.

10:22, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 2 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2.  Strength.

That's a Success and Raise on the push, so the zombie gets bowled over and takes several of the front rank with it.

The only way to make an attack with a Push is to take a Multiaction, which you probably don't want to do with an Extra.))


Turn Order
Katy: AD
Trace: 7S
Walkin' Dead: 4C

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 176 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W1R2B0L0
Mon 30 Jan 2017
at 00:16
  • msg #176

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy pointed her gun over toward where Trace had fallen, and her bullet took one of the bastards in the head, spraying zombie matter all over her deputy. One down, nine to go, and several were on the deck. Time to add to that score. "Ya!" Katy spurred her horse into action again, the powerful creature creating another path toward Trace (or so she hoped). In any case, the undead should have plenty of reason to ignore Caroline and her boy.

OOC: Katy plugs one of the dedders she thinks will close on Trace, doing 27 damage. Soak that, motherfucker!

Katy spurred her mount to cut another path through the dedders. Strength roll of 10. Hopefully that knocks a lot of zed prone. She's trying to keep Trace alive with this trampling.

16:04, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: 3H using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.
16:04, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 10 using 1d12+2, rerolling max with rolls of 8.  Push.
16:03, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 17,10 using 2d6+1,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+6+2)14,(6+4)10.  Damage,Raise.
16:03, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 2,13 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,(6+6+3)15.  Shooting (Unstable).

Also, IMHO a self-inflicted wound shouldn't be allowed to cause 2 wounds. It's not random. Cutting your arm in a controlled manner isn't the same as getting stabbed in the gut by an unfriendly.

Also also, Katy's initiative sucks. Yay for a d8 Vigor. 3 chips should be enough, right? Right?

Trace Hargrave
player, 72 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0 R1 B1
Mon 30 Jan 2017
at 04:14
  • msg #177

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave stood shakily to his feet. His vision had begun to tunnel, but he was dimly aware of Cox firing at one of the dead men, while spurring her horse into several more of them.

Stepping to the porch, he drew his pistol, firing at the nearest of the revenants. A half instant later, he swung his wounded left arm in a wide arc, hoping to shed droplets of blood on as many of the zombies as possible, praying that the gore would keep them distracted from those trying to flee.

"Katy! You've got to try to catch Bill! He has Earl!" he called out, his hollow voice strange to his own ears.

21:59, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 19,7 using 1d10-4,1d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of (10+10+3)23,(6+5)11.  Shooting.

22:10, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 19 using 3d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,1,(6+6+2)14.  Damage - Pistol.

22:11, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: 8D using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Walkin' Dead
NPC, 16 posts
Tasty, tasty brains
P5 T7 F0 Cha - Extra
Fri 3 Feb 2017
at 06:35
  • msg #178

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy rides into the mass of deaders, knocking several more down...but unfortunately, they don't stay down! Worse, they have access to one hell of a huge meal in front of them...Trace's bloody arm doesn't distract any of them enough!

The deaders fair climb up the shanks of Katy's horse, sending the beast into a panic bucking. Katy herself feels several of them bite into her legs...

...and worse, a couple zombie break from the pack, and head straight for Caroline and Connor! One of them grabs the house wife and starts gnawing down...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Caroline shrieks.

((OOC: Bowling for zombies!

23:08, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 1 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1.  Strength (Push).

That's a success and a couple raises, so a couple more zombies fall prone. Together, that's 2 zombies down, 5 prone.

The prone zombies will need to make Agility rolls to get up, otherwise they stay prone this round, which will effect how well they can fight. The trouble is, Katy's gone and gotten herself surrounded, so Gang-Up bonuses will offset the Prone penalties.

23:14, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 4,5,2,5,5 using d6,d6,d6,d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,5,2,5,5.  Stand from Prone?

Well, that's bad. Four of the zombies are able to stand, undoing a lot of Katy's work, and now she's completely surrounded.

5 zombies are able to attack Katy and her horse. They split their attacks -- 3 at the horse, 2 at Katy. They all get a +4 Gang-up bonus.

The prone zombie crawls 3 squares. Two of the remaining zombies head for Caroline and Connor, though only one gets in range to make an attack.

Vs. Horse: 23:18, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 5,5,8 using d6+4,d6+4,d6+4, rerolling max with rolls of 1,1,4.  Fighting. 1 hit

Damage: 7. The horse is barely hurt.

Vs. Katy: 23:19, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 5,15 using d6+4,d6+4, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+5)11.  Fighting. 2 hits, 1 raise

Damage 1: 6. That makes Katy Shaken
Damage 2: 7. Another Shaken, which will cause a wound unless Katy soaks.

Vs. Caroline: 23:20, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 4 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4.  Fighting. hit

Damage: 6. Caroline is Shaken.

Card: 2H.))




Turn Order
Trace: 8D, 1 Fatigue (instead of 2 wounds, as per the XP post)
Katy: 3H, needs to soak 1 wound
Zombies and Caroline: 2H

Trace Hargrave
player, 77 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R3 B2
Fri 3 Feb 2017
at 18:44
  • msg #179

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Rage took hold of Hargrave as he witnessed the dead men swarm the Johnsons and Katy. Taking aim at the revenant that was attacking Caroline, he bellowed, "I'M GOING TO SEND EVERY ONE OF YOU BLOODY BASTARDS BACK TO HELL." For reasons he couldn't fathom, the land wights responded to his words, the air and the very ground becoming sharply cold, a sense of terrible foreboding seizing the ranch, not unlike the haunted moors his father had introduced him to in his youth.

Hoping his aim was true, he fired another shot.

Playing this:

3S - Shakin’ in Thar Boots
“I won’t just shoot ya. I’ll kill ya good!”
Play in a combat situation. Your character does or says something so intensely horrific and intimidating that it brings the area to a standstill. All other characters, friend or foe, are Shaken.

12:15, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 9,3 using 1d10+1,1d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 8,2.  Shooting.

12:16, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 8 using 3d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1,4.  Damage.

12:17, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: KD using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 178 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0R1B0L0
Mon 6 Feb 2017
at 16:54
  • msg #180

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy slapped another speed-load cylinder in her revolver and filled the air with a ton of lead. Unfortunately most of it didn't make contact with the dedders that were literally right in front of her face. A person almost had to try to miss with that many bullets at such a close range.

OOC: Katy burns a white and a red to soak.

She will fire away from where any bystanders might be hit, so toward the east of the map, I think.

She hits one of the things for 8 damage. 8C next round.

She also says a little prayer, as prayer never hurt.


08:49, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: 8C using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.
08:48, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 8 using 2d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,4.  Damage.
08:48, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 1,-1,3,3,5,3,1 using d8-2,d8-2,d8-2,d8-2,d8-2,d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1,5,5,7,5,3.  Fan that hammer.
08:47, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 2,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3.  Soak.

Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder
NPC, 1 post
At One With Inner Beast
P8 T8/10 Cha -2 F0 W0
Tue 7 Feb 2017
at 02:51
  • msg #181

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Trace's shot is true, and the deader falls. Likewise, Katy's rapid shots take down at least one of the dead men.

As it begins to look grim, there's suddenly a mighty roar from the darkness.

"YEEEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWLLLLLLL!"

A tawny thunderbolt slams into the mass of undead, tearing and ripping. one of the deaders is torn clean in half.

In the space left behind, Katy sees an enormous mountain lion glaring at the ranks of the dead.

Then the creature gets up on its hind legs, and Katy realizes that this is no natural creature...

Caroline screams again, but she seems to be clear-headed enough to leap on the horse and ride like the Devil's on her tail. The deaders, meanwhile, seem to be disoriented. One makes a swing at Katy, but misses, while teo of them lurch on the giant man-cat, only to get slammed back.

There's less than half a dozen still able to lurch around, all told.

((OOC: Trace's shot takes out the deader, as does Katy's shot (thanks to the card Trace played

Going to use my Reinforcements card, but on your behalf, and bring in someone to help even the odds here. And so it is that Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder appears to tear shit up!

Joseph Pounces, getting +4 to attacks and damage, and goes for a Frenzy.

19:13, Today: Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder rolled 5,6,13 using d10+4,d10+4,d6+4, rerolling max with rolls of 1,2,(6+3)9.  Fighting (Pounce, Frenzy).

only one hit, but it's a Raise. he gets 15 damage, which is enough to down another deader.

Going to need you two to make me a Fear check (-3 for the Fear level, + grit) at the appearance of the werecougar.

Joseph's card: 9H

I roll to see if Caroline unshakes.

19:39, Today: Caroline Johnson rolled 5 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5.  Unshake.

She does, so she hops on the horse and books it.

There are actually only 5 deaders left, and all of them are Shaken, so I check to see if any unshake.

19:41, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 4,4,3,5,3 using d4+2,d4+2,d4+2,d4+2,d4+2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2,1,3,1.  Unshake. 3 do, but none of them get Raises, so they all have a -2 penalty on actions this turn.

1 attacks Katy, 2 attack the giant monster cat in their midst.

Vs. Katy: 19:44, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 2 using 1d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 4.  Fighting. Miss.

Vs. Joseph: 19:45, Today: Walkin' Dead rolled 2,2 using d6-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3.  Fighting (Gang Up). both Miss.

Card: 7C))




Turn Order
Trace: KD
Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder: 9H
Katy: 8C
Walkin' Dead: 7C

Trace Hargrave
player, 81 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B2
Tue 7 Feb 2017
at 16:10
  • msg #182

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave tensed at the appearance of another monster, uncertain if the creature was friend or foe. Seeing it attack one of the dead men he assumed, at least for the moment, that it was an ally, though the wild nature of its attacks made him wonder if it might not turn on he and Cox in the blink of an eye.

Feeling a brief sense of relief at Caroline and Conner's escape, he shifted his aim to the last of the revenants attacking Cox and fired.

09:25, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 2,2 using 1d6-1,1d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3.  Spirit (Fear Check).

I'll throw a
red chip at that.

09:25, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 1t/b] using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1.  [b]Spirit - Red Chip.

Of course. How about another?

09:27, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 7 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+1)7.  Red Chip - Spirit.

Total : 10

Passed! And it only required the sacrificial burning of two
red chips. ;)

09:30, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 11,6 using 1d12+1,1d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 10,5.  Shooting.

09:31, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 9 using 3d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2,4.  Damage.

09:32, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: 3C using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 190 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0R1B0L0
Thu 9 Feb 2017
at 14:23
  • msg #183

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy took the appearance of Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder in stride, almost as if she'd expected him to show up.

06:20, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 11,6 using d6+1,d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of (6+4)10,5.  Fear.

She had whispered a little prayer for help, after all.
Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder
NPC, 2 posts
At One With Inner Beast
P8 T8/10 Cha -2 F0 W0
Thu 9 Feb 2017
at 16:11
  • msg #184

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The pumaman ignores the pair of non-runny meat in favor of the rotten hearts, and tears into the remaining zombies. They fall at his mauling, leaving only a scattered few behind. Looks like the tide has turned.

((OOC: That shot will make a deader Shaken.

Joseph goes for another couple of deaders.

09:05, Today: Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder rolled 5,1,11 using d10,d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,1,(6+5)11.  Fighting (Frenzy).

Two hits, 1 Raise.

He gets a 19 and a 22, so that's two more deaders down. Holy crap that's a lot of damage.

That leaves 3, one of which is Shaken.

Card: 4D))


Katy is up!
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 191 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0R1B0L0
Thu 9 Feb 2017
at 16:23
  • msg #185

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy went back to the partially depleted speed-load cylinder that she had previously been using, slapping it back in while changing with the spent one. She let a single bullet fly, aiming for one of those that seemed to have its guard down.

OOC: targeting a shaken zombie. 7 to hit, 9 damage. QS next round.

08:21, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: QS using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.
08:21, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 9 using 2d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+1)7.  Damage.
08:20, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 7,4 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,4.  Shooting.

This message was last edited by the player at 00:11, Sat 11 Feb 2017.
The Stray
GM, 1995 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Sun 12 Feb 2017
at 22:10
  • msg #186

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: So with the help of the cavalry here, it looks like the tide has turned enough that you folks aren't in danger unless the zombies get really lucky. Do you just want me to wrap this up? You can just narrate how you mop up the remaining deaders, and we can move on to you dealing with the giant puma-man and chasing after Bill.))
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 196 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0R1B0L0
Sun 12 Feb 2017
at 22:16
  • msg #187

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Ooc: fine by me. Trace?
This message was last edited by the player at 16:12, Mon 13 Feb 2017.
Trace Hargrave
player, 83 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B2
Mon 13 Feb 2017
at 12:48
  • msg #188

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

OOC: Sure.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 197 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0R1B0L0
Mon 13 Feb 2017
at 16:19
  • msg #189

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy placed the last bullet from her current revolver neatly in the noggin of one of the remaining two dedders just as Trace took care of the other. The Ranger looked at the mass of reanimated flesh to make sure nothing else seemed a threat. One of the zombies shuddered and looked like it wanted to get up again, but Katy stomped on its skull. Hard.

Nothing else seemed to move except Katy, Trace, and the cougar that had come to join them. Katy waved an open palm toward Joseph. "Hello? Thanks fer givin' us a hand." The Ranger waited to see what sort of response the animal would give, hoping it would be peaceful at best, and departure at worst.
Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder
NPC, 3 posts
At One With Inner Beast
P8 T8/10 Cha -2 F0 W0
Mon 13 Feb 2017
at 19:02
  • msg #190

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The puma-man looks at the pair of them...and then begins to shrink, its features melting into more human ones as it changes. Within a few moments, the nine-foot tall beast is a six-and-a-half foot tall, very naked Comanche male, who cracks his neck. He looks at Katy, his amber eyes still faintly slitted. "The man with the scar." He says. "Where is he? Which way did he go?"
Trace Hargrave
player, 84 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B2
Mon 13 Feb 2017
at 22:33
  • msg #191

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

After the last of the dead fell, Hargrave watched the cat creature warily, blinking as the monster transformed into a man. As the brave had addressed the ranger, he remained silent. He reloaded his pistol, returned it to its holster, then retrieved his rifle. Carefully dusting the weapon off, he glanced back at the ranch house, his heart heavy for the Johnson family's senseless loss of their home.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 198 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0R1B0L0
Mon 13 Feb 2017
at 22:46
  • msg #192

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy watched the transformation with interest, though her gaze didn't linger on Joseph's lower body once the change had been completed. Instead it went to those slitted, amber eyes of the man/beast, though she was aware of his state of dress all the same. The Ranger pointed off the direction that the two brothers had gone. "They went thataway. We mean ta hunt 'em down. Are you, uh, interested in joinin' us?"

Katy had remained mounted the entire time, and looked briefly over to Trace to see if he would be ready to ride after Earl.
Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder
NPC, 4 posts
At One With Inner Beast
P8 T8/10 Cha -2 F0 W0
Tue 14 Feb 2017
at 06:33
  • msg #193

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The big Indian reaches down towards one of the fallen riders, rips off the deader's shirt, and wraps it around his midsection. "Hunt him down. Yes. Bayou Vermillion pays him to take scalps from Apaches. He takes them from Apaches, Comanches, Yavapai, Navajo...and even Mexicans and dark-haired white folk. He is a bad man, and it is a shame he did not die the first time I killed him. The second time, he will not get up again." The man looks at the burning building. His eyes shine in the firelight. "I am Joseph, Voice-Like-Thunder."
Trace Hargrave
player, 85 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B2
Tue 14 Feb 2017
at 15:01
  • msg #194

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave joined Cox and Joseph, his rifle propped on his right shoulder. He remained silent, not interrupting the conversation, ready to follow whatever course the ranger and the warrior chose. Briefly, his gaze drifted in the direction where Caroline Johnson had ridden off. Even if his horse was lost to him, he considered it a small price to pay, thankful that she and Conner had been able to escape the attack.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 199 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0R1B0L0
Tue 14 Feb 2017
at 15:24
  • msg #195

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy watched the shaman as he walked and at least dressed a little bit. Not that he wasn't still flopping around under the hastily tied-on shirt, but it was better than nothing. "It's nice ta meetya, Joseph, Voice-like-thunder." Her hand briefly went to her hair when the fellow mentioned scalping dark-haired white folk "Can ya do that turnin' inta a cougar thing while we hunt down the fella? My horse can carry two faster'n we all can walk. But three's a lotta ask."

She looked over to Trace. "Ready ta go hunt 'em down, cowboy? I'm sure Caroline and Conner'r doin' fine. Hop on up and let's git."

OOC: There are only zombie horses around here in addition to Katy's one live horse, correct? Though this is a ranch - can we quickly check if there are any other potential mounts that aren't zombified?
Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder
NPC, 5 posts
At One With Inner Beast
P8 T8/10 Cha -2 F0 W0
Tue 14 Feb 2017
at 15:57
  • msg #196

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The indian continues raiding the dead, picking up pistols, sticking a pair into the shirt, then emptying the others for extra bullets. "No." He says. "Puma and I have an understanding -- I may only assume his form for a short while, in a time of great need. You were surrounded. It seemed like a time of great need." He shrugs. "I have a horse. I will need to find him and calm him...he and Puma do not get along. He also has my weapons and spare pants."

He whistles out into the darkness. There's a whistle in reply. Joseph calls out. [Language unknown: "Stante Strss! Ce fiar poie usonho. Encantwhi herock ni fobeol atllre me has pre, all ch tioei."]

There's a reply in the same language. [Language unknown: "Oun thoac to icmile?"]

[Language unknown: "He be al, fiee!"] Joseph says back. [Language unknown: "Utme ateoerill!"]

Then there is the fall of hoofbeats. Joseph looks back at the pair and shrugs. "My son. He is not yet a warrior, but he will protect the woman and her child."

((OOC: If you want to take the time, sure. It shouldn't be too hard to find a horse.))
Trace Hargrave
player, 86 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B2
Tue 14 Feb 2017
at 17:28
  • msg #197

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave pointed to the stable. "Let me check and see if there's a usable mount inside. I'll yell if I find one and you and Joseph can get going. I'll be right behind you. I'm more helpful at long distance anyway."

Rifle in both hands, he jogged to the stable, scanning quickly for any mounts that were unharmed.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 201 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0R1B0L0
Tue 14 Feb 2017
at 17:42
  • msg #198

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy nodded at Joseph. She spoke his language fairly well, though certainly not at the level of a native-speaker. [Language unknown: "Ad ntat misean he ulame t ouevpa il, Illersion'wasessstrativor. Iseten alna ereameome inlar ca. A dayourtho ic P heusal erswersetoun n lestr t teus hanot hohis ithencaveureven. Ul shemo mannc m atiartsom iv. Inill pre ionhisard eiwiat honi ckom, ic hi hat la saou anyes a rea icmene a."]

Katy looked off in the direction of the boy. "There might be some scared folk in town, liable to do somethin' stupid. Yer boy won't get too close, right?"

She nodded over at Trace. It would be fastest for him to jog to get another mount. Maybe not for Joseph. "Yer horse close by, Joseph? If not, ya can ride with me back ta yer mount. And my name is Katy. Katy Cox. Fella there is Trace. And we sure are glad ta have met ya."
Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder
NPC, 6 posts
At One With Inner Beast
P8 T8/10 Cha -2 F0 W0
Tue 14 Feb 2017
at 20:49
  • msg #199

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Joseph actually looks surprised at Katy peaking to him in his own language. That grim face breaks into a grin. [Language unknown: "Ndfor i iv whbe eswe ckica fiev ntill ove, lesol U sack artureoulnot et fi."] he says back.

Joseph whistles into the darkness again. This time, there's a whinny in answer. He looks back at Katy as a tan horse with a blanket saddle trots up. "Sparrow Hawk will be fine. He is not a warrior yet, but he is still Comanche. The white folk will not even know he was there." He nods at the names, then pulls out a pair of jeans from his saddlebags and starts dressing. He then grabs a gunbelt, sticks the pistols and the extra ammo in it, and then pulls a pair of tomahawks from another saddlebag.

Trace is able to corral a horse quickly, and within a few moments, the trio is ready to go.

((OOC: Following the trail will be a Tracking check.))
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 203 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W0R1B0L0
Tue 14 Feb 2017
at 21:06
  • msg #200

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy nodded at Joseph's response. "We'll put him down fer good. And I'm glad to hear yer boy'll be fine." She then looked over at the horse that Trace had chosen. After a brief inspection, she spurred her mount forward. "Let's go, cowboy."

They knew in which direction the pair had headed initially, but that would only help them for a little bit. But horses left tracks, and heavily-laden horses left even deeper tracks. Katy had to hop off her horse every now and then, but following the pair wasn't too difficult for the Ranger.

12:57, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 4,9 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,(6+3)9.  Tracking.
Trace Hargrave
player, 87 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B2
Tue 14 Feb 2017
at 21:34
  • msg #201

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave nodded to Cox. "Yes, ma'am," he replied. Looking to Joseph, he said, "Many thanks for your help. I truly doubt that we would have survived without your assistance."

Before he followed Cox, Hargrave used his Bowie to cut part of the right sleeve free from his shirt, using the material to wrap the cut on his left arm. That done, he urged his mount forward, matching the ranger's pace.

15:21, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 1,8 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+2)8.  Tracking.
Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder
NPC, 7 posts
At One With Inner Beast
P8 T8/10 Cha -2 F0 W0
Wed 15 Feb 2017
at 02:40
  • msg #202

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

"You are welcome." Joseph says. "I ask only that you return the favor to someone else, should it be in your power to do so."

Some mood music

The trio ride the trail, which isn't difficult since, as it turns out, it's where they'd been heading first...the hills and gulches outside of town. It gets even easier to follow the trail once the trio can hear the screaming.

Sounds like Bill Johnson was taking his time with Earl.

There's a cave up ahead, and Trace spots the flickering lantern light within.

((OOC: So how do you want to approach this?))
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 206 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L0
Wed 15 Feb 2017
at 17:01
  • msg #203

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy looked at the other two and rode close so their voices wouldn't be heard. "Go in guns a-blazin'? Or does someone wanna scout it out a bit first?" There were quite a few things Katy was good at. Moving quietly wasn't one of them. It was probably the spurs - dang things always seemed to clank and jingle at the wrong time. Puma-man could probably move quietly enough, though. Not that they had a lot of time.
Trace Hargrave
player, 88 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B2
Wed 15 Feb 2017
at 23:18
  • msg #204

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

"I can give it a try," Hargrave said. "If I'm keeping watch on a spread, I can usually stay hidden fairly well." He shrugged. "Of course, most of the time, I'm not hunting fellas who are already dead."

He crept forward, staying low, keeping to the brush and mesquite trees as much as possible, choosing his steps carefully.

17:11, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 5,5 using 1d8+2,1d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3.  Notice.

17:10, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 9,5 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+3)9,5.  Stealth.

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 209 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W6R0B0L1
Thu 16 Feb 2017
at 00:00
  • msg #205

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy dismounted as quietly as she could, landing in a crouch to soften the sound a bit. She took Trace's horse in hand while he went to be sneaky, and found a good place to tie their mounts up. Once she'd taken care of that, she followed at enough of a distance to not hinder Trace's attempts to sneak up on the brothers.
Bill Johnson
NPC, 4 posts
Envious Brother
P6 T9 Cha -4 F0 W0 Harrow
Sat 18 Feb 2017
at 20:27
  • msg #206

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Trace creeps closer to the cave. He can hear the dead man now. Trace peaks into the cave...

"...couldn't just die, could ya?" The scarred man snarls as he hunches over Earl. Earl looks like he's awake, but in terrible pain, and the dead man has a bloody knife in his hands.

"B-Bill..." Earl gasps. "Wh-why?"

"Why? Why!?" Bill kicks Earl in the chest, sending the man wheezing. "'Cause you was always better, weren't you? Mama always loved you more, you stole Caroline away...fuck, even Dad gave the farm to you in his will. And what did I get? Nothin'. Had to make my own way. Had to do the real work. Hand to get my hands dirty."

He made a quick slice across Earl's arm, causing the old man to scream. "And what did you do about it, huh? Didja ever help out your lovin' bother? Ever lend him a dime when he needed to make ends meet? The farm was supposed to be ours, not yours and yours alone! I'm just here to take back what you owe me, you son of a bitch!"

((OOC: 13:15, Today: Bill Johnson rolled 1,1 using d4-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3.  Notice. Bill doesn't notice Trace at all. Trace got a Raise over Bill, and so you can get The Drop on the man, getting a +4 bonus to your fighting or Shooting roll and a +4 bonus to damage.))
Trace Hargrave
player, 90 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B2
Mon 20 Feb 2017
at 02:45
  • msg #207

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

When Hargrave saw Bill slash Earl with the knife, he recognized that there was no time. Although the dead man might take his time, to make certain that his brother suffered, he was still making ready to kill him. Hargrave knew he had to act. He was certain that the others would hear the shot and come running. Shouldering his rifle, he took a deep calming breath, steadied his aim, and fired.

14:01, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 18,10 using 1d12+7,1d6+7, rerolling max with rolls of 11,3.  Shooting.

Modifiers: +2 Marksman, +1 Preferred Weapon, +4 "The Drop"

14:02, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 20,3 using 2d10+6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,8,3.  Damage - Rifle.

Total Damage: 23

Modifiers: +2 Smite, +4 "The Drop"

18:43, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: 9D using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 218 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W6R0B0L1
Mon 20 Feb 2017
at 03:07
  • msg #208

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

OOC: I presume Katy should be drawing for initiative....


19:05, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: 6H using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Bill Johnson
NPC, 5 posts
Envious Brother
P6 T9 Cha -4 F0 W3 Harrow
Mon 20 Feb 2017
at 03:21
  • msg #209

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The bullet hits the dead man square in the chest, right over his heart, and sends him pitching forward...but it doesn't finish him.

"Sonova...bitch!" He growls. He glares back at Trace. Black blood oozes from his chest. "No..." He gasps. "No, I'm gonna...fucking finish this..." And he raises his knife over Earl...

((OOC: So that much damage against Bill is 3 wounds unless he soaks. But he ran himself out of chips and this is a prelude, so I'm not giving him a fresh batch.

So he takes 3 wounds, but is not Incapacitated just yet.

Time for cards!))


Turn Order
Trace: 9D
Katy: 6H
Bill: 3H
Joseph: Joseph is On Hold until after Katy and Trace act.
Earl: is Incapacitated and can't fight.

Trace Hargrave
player, 91 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B2
Mon 20 Feb 2017
at 04:48
  • msg #210

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

What in hell does it take to kill a man who's dead? Hargrave wondered as he fired another shot.

Couldn't get there, even with a Blue Chip.

22:33, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 5,4 using 1d12+3,1d6+3, rerolling max with rolls of 2,1.  Shooting.

22:35, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 2 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2.  Shooting - Blue Chip.

Total Shooting:7

22:36, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 8 using 2d10+2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3.  Damage - Rifle.

22:46, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: AS using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 219 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W6R0B0L1
Mon 20 Feb 2017
at 05:00
  • msg #211

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

OOC: What is Katy's distance, and does she have a clear shot?
Bill Johnson
NPC, 6 posts
Envious Brother
P6 T9 Cha -4 F0 W3 Harrow
Mon 20 Feb 2017
at 05:01
  • msg #212

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The dead man wheezes a laugh as Trace's shot takes him in the thigh. "You know...I been shot...stabbed...poisoned with acid...mauled by a fucking mountain lion...you ain't shit."

((OOC: In answer to Trace's question, the same as his minions. Shoot him in the head. But that's not enough to even make him Shaken, so...))

Katy's up!
The Stray
GM, 2029 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Mon 20 Feb 2017
at 05:02
  • msg #213

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

In reply to Catherine Hays Cox (msg # 211):

((OOC: Katy can get there in a move, and the cave is shallow enough that it'd be short-range for her.))
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 220 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W6R0B0L1
Mon 20 Feb 2017
at 05:07
  • msg #214

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

OOC: Yeah, but can she not move and get a short range shot with Marksman?

And when you say she can 'get there with a move', do you mean she can get to Bill Johnson? Or just get in range to take a shot?

And remind me of the rules and potential results for called shots (like the arm holding the knife). I.e. what would she have to roll to eliminate the weapon from consideration. And not just make him drop it right next to him so he can pick it up and finish the job...

The Stray
GM, 2030 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Mon 20 Feb 2017
at 05:27
  • msg #215

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: She'd have to move to get a clear shot, since she was hanging back to let Trace scout. Katy could get into melee range, but she'd have to Run at least a couple squares.

Doing a Called Shot (-2) against his arm will do damage, and also force him to make a Strength check vs. the damage result or drop the knife (it would fly far enough for him to have to move if he fails by 4 or more). You could aim for the knife itself, but that's a -4 penalty instead as the knife is a smaller target. You wouldn't do any damage to him, but you might destroy the knife entirely rather than just spinning it out of his grasp. Even just disarming him and him picking it right back up would make him need to make an attack to perform a Finishing Move, with a -2 penalty on top of his wounds to boot.))

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 221 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Mon 20 Feb 2017
at 05:58
  • msg #216

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

OOC: Ugh. I think she's best off just trying to shoot the bastard. Even a grapple is an opposed fighting roll, which would be -2 if she's running, as I understand it.

Katy saw Trace take a shot, but it didn't sound like it had finished Bill off. She moved to get a clean shot of her own as Trace fired off a second bullet that also didn't finish the bastard off. Katy brought her pistol up and fired. She knew the bullet flew true the moment it left the barrel of the weapon. Whether it was good enough to kill the zombified Bill Johnson, well, that was the hope and was more dependent on Earl's luck than her own.

OOC: 14 to hit (after white chip), 12 damage. I'm hoping she just needed to get to 9. If this guy is Hardy, well, then Katy did the largest amount of damage possible without killing him. The 12 damage is AP1, if it matters.


21:55, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: KD using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.
21:52, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 12 using 3d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3,5.  Damage,Raise.
21:52, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 12,14 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+4)12,(6+6+2)14.  White chip.
21:52, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 2,1 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,1.  Shooting.

Bill Johnson
NPC, 7 posts
Envious Brother
P6 T9 Cha -4 F0 W3 Harrow
Mon 20 Feb 2017
at 06:26
  • msg #217

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The shot hits the dead man in the arm, but though he slumps a little, he's able to keep his grip on it. Joseph appears behind Katy, and takes two shots,apparently trying to hit the blade and keep ricochets to a minimum, but the shots don't connect either.

"All that...lead." Bill grunts. "And you still...can't...get me down."

But he does seem dazed enough that he can't make a killing strike.

((OOC: That'll make him Shaken, and is just shy of the final point of damage needed to down him.

Joseph is On Hold, and was planning to go after Katy. He'd normally need to beat Bill in an Agility roll to interrupt him, but since Bill's Shaken, that's not really necessary.

Joseph moves up behind Katy and attempts to disarm Bill. He fires directly at the knife.

23:15, Today: Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder rolled -3,1 using d10-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 1,5.  Shooting (Disarm). Miss. Joseph spends a White Chip on a reroll.

23:17, Today: Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder rolled -2,1 using d10-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 2,5.  White Chip Reroll.

Nope.

Joseph's card: QH

Bill attempts to Unshake. He's harrowed, but I don't think that Harrowed get the same +2 to recover from Shaken that other undead do, so his roll is at -3 from his wounds.

23:20, Today: Bill Johnson rolled -2,1 using d6-3,d6-3, rerolling max with rolls of 1,4.  Unshake.

Nope. He gets no action this turn.

Bill's card: 8H))


Turn Order
Trace: AS
Katy: KD
Joseph: QH
Bill: 8H

Trace Hargrave
player, 92 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R0 B0
Mon 20 Feb 2017
at 07:25
  • msg #218

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Ignoring the dead man's taunts, Hargrave remained focused on keeping Earl alive. Exhaling slowly, he squeezed off another shot.

01:04, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 2,4 using 1d12-1,1d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,5.  Shooting - Called Shot - Head.

The way my rolls have been going, I figure I need a raise.

01:06, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 2 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2.  Blue Chip -Shooting.

01:06, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 3 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3.  Red Chip - Shooting.

Not cheap, but there it is.

Total Shooting: 9

And, as it turns out, an unnecessary investment.

01:08, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 31,4 using 2d10+6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (10+9)19,6,4.  Damage - Rifle.

Modifiers: +2 Smite, +4 Headshot

Total Damage: 35

Bill Johnson
NPC, 8 posts
Envious Brother
P6 T9 Cha -4 F0 W3 Harrow
Mon 20 Feb 2017
at 07:42
  • msg #219

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

The outlaw's head is hit in just the right way, and the top of his skull blows apart, leaving only a shocked expression as he crumples to the dirt of the cave.

Silence falls, broken only by Earl's sobs. "Oh God...oh God..."

((OOC: That'll do it. As this is likely the last fight of the prelude, I'll refund you the chips you spent on getting the raise you didn't need, so you have a cushion when I get you into the main game.))

Combat Over
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 222 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Mon 20 Feb 2017
at 08:09
  • msg #220

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy watched the top of the head of what was once a man explode. Once upon a time, she might have been bothered by the sight of it. It now bothered her a little that she wasn't bothered by such.

The precision with which Trace eliminated the zombie would save her the trouble of having to ensure that Bill never came back again. Clean shot to the noggin like that should just about do it. Katy walked the couple steps over by Trace. "That was some mighty fine shootin', Trace." She placed a hand on his upper arm and looked at the man to gauge how he was holding up. "If you're doin' alright, Earl could prolly use ta see a friendly face. I'll talk with our new friend and make sure Bill won't be comin' back." Katy looked like she had more to say, but it seemed the rest could wait. Or should wait, anyway. She kept her gaze on Trace until he gave some sign of agreement, hoping that his mind wasn't going to crack under the strain of what he'd seen.

She did add a couple more things. "I know I owe ya some explainin'. And a drink." And probably my life.
Trace Hargrave
player, 93 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B1
Mon 20 Feb 2017
at 19:42
  • msg #221

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave lowered his weapon and let out a slow breath. He nodded in response to Cox's question. "I'm fine. Just more used to shooting at rustlers that are...alive." His eyes went to the terrified rancher. "I'll see to Earl. Hopefully, the news that his family is safe will help his spirits."

Lifting his rifle to his shoulder, he stepped over to his employer. "Earl? It's over. You're safe. So are Caroline and Conner. They got away from Bill's people. They're okay."
Earl Johnson
NPC, 1 post
Cattle Rancher
P7 T7 Cha 0 F0 Extra
Tue 21 Feb 2017
at 01:52
  • msg #222

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Earl shivers. "I...I...thank you. Oh God, thank you!." He says. He looks over at the remains of Bill. "Dear God in Heaven. Bill was...was always mad about the farm but...but I never...never thought he'd...he would...Oh, Bill. Oh..." He starts weeping.

Joseph watches as Katy comes over to him. "It is done. Will you be claiming a portion of the bounty on him?" He rumbles.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 224 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Tue 21 Feb 2017
at 02:49
  • msg #223

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy nodded at Trace's response, an understanding look on her face. "You've saved a lotta lives tonight, Trace. Think on that fer a bit, and I'll getcha some more answers once we've seen ta the Johnson family." She patted him on the back once she was fairly certain he was in good enough shape. The physical parts of being a Ranger were difficult enough for Katy to handle. The mental aspects were at least twice as difficult.

Katy went over toward Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder. She didn't expect him to have flinched with what they faced, but one never knew. As she spoke with the man, she tried to gauge his state of mind as well. "Thank you, again. We couldn't have done this without you. It looks like Bill Johnson won't be bothering you or your people any more." She naturally slowed down just a little and used more precise diction and smaller word choice when speaking with someone whose first language wasn't English.

She looked off in the direction of the town before looking back at Joseph. "If there's anything we can do for you, please let us know. I'd be glad to tell your son of your deeds here today. Or I can go with you to tell the members of your tribe about your heroism and the death of this threat." Based on the little Joseph had said, Katy suspected there would be some people in Joseph's tribe that would sleep easier knowing that Bill was no longer out there.

She looked over toward Trace then back to Joseph. "I won't be claiming any part of the bounty, no. Trace is more deserving, maybe you can discuss it with him?"
Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder
NPC, 8 posts
At One With Inner Beast
P8 T8/10 Cha -2 F0 W0
Tue 21 Feb 2017
at 03:09
  • msg #224

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Joseph nods. "Good." He raises an eyebrow at Katy's careful diction. "I born on a reservation, and was educated in a white school." He says, with a hint of bitterness. "I speak English quite well. You don't have to mince your words around me." The bitterness fades. "Still, your gesture is appreciated. If you think they would listen to you, then go ahead. But I will be telling them of this day myself."

He looks over at Trace and Earl. "Later, we shall discuss it. But not in front of his brother." He looks around the cave. "The scalper was supposed to meet with a railroad brujo. He was to purchase a potion to raise the dead -- the railroad uses the dead out in the desert, where they think no one is watching. Do you think he used all of his potion? Or is there more yet, that he hid after emptying the graves in Socorro?"
Trace Hargrave
player, 94 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B1
Tue 21 Feb 2017
at 17:47
  • msg #225

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave placed a supportive hand on his employer's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Johnson. Anger...it can twist a man's soul up. Drive him to do things he shouldn't, things he'd recognize as wrong if he just took a step back. Looked at things differently." Even as he spoke, he wondered just how mmany of his words could be applied to his own story. Wasn't it a thirst for revenge that had driven him to take up a rifle and join the Rail Wars?

"I'll stay on for a bit, Mr. Johnson," he said, "You don't need to pay me more. You've been plenty generous. I'll help you round up your herd. Get a new house and corral started. I'm a fair cowhand. Not much of a carpenter, though. But I can swing a hammer."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:50, Tue 21 Feb 2017.
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 225 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Tue 21 Feb 2017
at 18:39
  • msg #226

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy winced a bit at Joseph's response. The last thing she was trying to do was offend her savior. "Don't know if they'll listen or not, but I think havin' a second voice never hurt. An it ain't like we can't use help dealin' with Bill's...sort...in the future." She furrowed her brow a bit. "Speakin' of, seems like ya might know a bit more 'bout this'n I do. I gotta lotta friends what might wanna put a stop ta those sorta work practices. If yer willin' ta work with us, that is, an mebbe share some information?"

The Ranger pursed her lips in thought as she looked over toward the broken form of what was once Bill Johnson. "As fer the potion - I don't think he used it all, no, but I ain't sure. And I wanna be sure that it don't fall inta the wrong hands again. Course I don't rightly know where he mighta hid such."
Earl Johnson
NPC, 2 posts
Cattle Rancher
P7 T7 Cha 0 F0 Extra
Tue 21 Feb 2017
at 19:25
  • msg #227

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

"I...I reckon that I need some time to think." Earl says. "But...you folks saved my life, and I won't forget that none."

Joseph shrugs. "I was following the scalper for six months. You may not approve of my methods for getting the information I had. But I suppose that I would be willing to work with your friends -- as long as they do not expect me to work for them. Puma is not a housecat." Joseph glances around the cave again. It's bare, save for the body and the lantern. "Pity. Perhaps if he had allowed himself to be taken still moving, we could have asked him. I thought it would have been here, in his hiding place."
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 227 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Tue 21 Feb 2017
at 19:32
  • msg #228

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy nodded at all Joseph had to say. "Not everyone's gotta work for us. We pay fer good help from folk that work with us on a case by case basis, too." Katy also looked around at the cave. "Mebbe he'd a hidden it here. But mebbe it's on his self. Searchin' c'n waita moment, though." Or hidden in the lantern, somehow. If not those two spots, a protracted search seemed to be in Katy's future.
Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder
NPC, 9 posts
At One With Inner Beast
P8 T8/10 Cha -2 F0 W0
Tue 21 Feb 2017
at 19:35
  • msg #229

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Joseph nods. "So long as that is understood."

((OOC: Given that she's tracking a keg-sized barrel of the stuff, it's not likely to be hidden on his person or in the lantern.))
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 229 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Tue 21 Feb 2017
at 19:46
  • msg #230

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

OOC: He didn't take some out of the keg and put it in canteens? Silly man. Still, back to tracking something bigger than a breadbox, I guess.
The Stray
GM, 2036 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Tue 21 Feb 2017
at 20:09
  • msg #231

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: I suppose it's a possibility, but I'm thinking that's probably best covered in a wrap-up, since the major plot thread is over with. And I think I can now start moving Trace toward the actual game.

So, give me some things you two would like to see wrapped-up before I end this thread, and we'll cover how the aftermath plays out. Sound fair to you guys?))

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 230 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Tue 21 Feb 2017
at 20:21
  • msg #232

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Sounds good to me. I just want to have one more conversation with Trace before we put a bow on this thing. Preferably over a drink. Assuming Trace is amenable to such. It would involve a small time skip and probably after most of the wrap-up narration.
Trace Hargrave
player, 95 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B1
Tue 21 Feb 2017
at 21:02
  • msg #233

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

OOC: Hargrave's primary concern would be ensuring that Earl, Caroline, and Conner are reunited, receive any medical care they require, and have somewhere safe to stay while they puzzle out how to move forward with their lives.

Once that's resolved, Cox is free to send Hargrave off to prison for trafficking in black magic. :)

The Stray
GM, 2038 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Wed 22 Feb 2017
at 04:54
  • msg #234

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Trace, Katy, Joseph, and Earl leave the cave, taking Bill's body back to town with them. While on the ride back, Joseph mentions to Trace that there was a $400 bounty on Bill, and asked Trace to split it with him and Earl.

Back in Socorro, Earl and Caroline joyfully reunite, and it looks like Connor came through just fine. Aside from some scraps and bumps, Caroline's fall didn't leave her the worse for wear, and Earl was seen to by the local barber (the only person with medical training around without going to El Paso). They're put up in the Mission for the night by Father Ernesto.

And so it is that Katy and Trace find themselves back in The Feral Dog...
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 232 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Wed 22 Feb 2017
at 07:46
  • msg #235

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy helped out Joseph in whatever way he thought best, including speaking with any of his people and his son about his deeds. She also helped out some with the Johnson family, which allowed her to gently correct any notion that Bill was a walking dead. It was really the part of the job she most detested - lying straight-faced to good folk never sat well with her. But it was for the best, she'd been told.

Katy also spent some time trying to cover up the fact that there were walking dead in Socorro  and trying to keep any sort of suggestions that it was anything but weird Cajun grave robbers from taking hold. Fortunately, her well-timed and stated lie the previous night seemed to hold enough water with folk that there weren't rumors of black magic.

In addition, she searched for the remaining brew that Bill Johnson had stolen, hoping to find another keg like the one that they discovered in the graveyard. This whole thing would feel incomplete if she couldn't locate it.

She also spent some time drafting her report. She mentioned Trace in only the most glowing terms. Her report would contain mention of his lost sister and ask that Rangers far and wide let Katy know if they came across Sibley or heard rumors of a travelling Englishwoman with a remarkable singing voice.

Before heading to the Feral Dog, Katy cleaned up, taking a nice, hot bath. She braided her hair when she was finished and wore a black skirt and gray blouse. She left her duster in the room she'd rented, though her pistol was still on her hip. The badge was tucked away out of sight as well. The well-worn sombrero she was so rarely seen without was also left in her room.

Katy entered the Feral Dog and found an empty table. She ordered a pair of beers and sat down to wait for Trace's arrival. She didn't touch her drink while she waited, her thoughts far away from where she was.
Trace Hargrave
player, 96 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B1
Thu 23 Feb 2017
at 05:01
  • msg #236

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave had kept his word to Earl Johnson. Beyond making certain that the rancher and his family had all that they required he rode the surrounding flatlands with a handful of vaqueros from neighboring ranches, all who had volunteered to help the family in their time of need. Hargrave enjoyed the work, the roaming of the open range, and the cheerful camaraderie he established with the other riders. With some persistence, they were able to locate most of the scattered steer, and even built a makeshift corral, an effort that became an ongoing source of humor due to its crude workmanship.

Despite the successes involved in assisting the Johnsons in rebuilding their lives, Hargrave sensed a familiar restlessness settle over him, a need to move on now that his task was done. It was a call he'd grown to resent heeding. Part of him wished that he had been willing to simply let the tragedies in Colorado lie, to not have yielded to his brash thirst for vengeance, and instead found a place like Earl Johnson's spread, where he could be part of something, have a hand in building a lasting home. But it was a pointless longing, he realized. The decisions he'd made had shaped his own nature now, led him to become a rootless drifter who was most content having no lasting ties to anything. That itch to ride on would overcome him soon, lead him elsewhere. Maybe west, to New Mexico. In a few days at most, he would obey its call. Perhaps when he found Sibley, had the answer to where life had taken her, his outlook would change. But he doubted it.

After punching a handful of cattle from the east back onto Johnson land, he'd headed into Socorro proper, hitching his mount in front of the Feral Dog. When he entered and spied Cox, he approached and tipped his hat politely. "Evening...Ranger," he said, still uncertain precisely what to call her, "Almost didn't recognize you without your hat. Socorro is certainly much calmer than it was a few days ago. I imagine that the folk here have you to thank for that."
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 235 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Thu 23 Feb 2017
at 15:08
  • msg #237

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy smiled when Trace showed up. It wasn't like that was guaranteed, and it wasn't like she hadn't been stood up before. "Evenin', Trace. Please call me Katy - I think we're on a first name basis by now?"

She looked around at the interior of the saloon, then back to Trace. "I think the folk mostly have you ta thank fer that. One Lone Ranger against what ya saw - wouldn'ta worked so well, would it? I ain't sure ya realize how grateful I am for what ya did here. You've gotta really good heart, Trace, ain't the kind I see in most men nowadays."

The Ranger tipped her head to the side slightly and gently pushed the beer furthest from her a fraction of an inch. "Have a drink with me?"
Trace Hargrave
player, 97 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B1
Fri 24 Feb 2017
at 16:20
  • msg #238

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave sat, accepting the offered beer. "Thank you," he said gratefully, "I'm still not accustomed to all the dust out here. At least in Colorado there were grass and trees, something to stop the wind."

He took a sip and shrugged. "I think you're giving me a little too much credit though, Ran...Katy. I'm really just a shootist, someone who hires himself out to people who are having trouble keeping what's rightfully theirs. But...I'd like to think that most people, especially confronted with what Bill Johnson had done, would do the right thing, if nothing else to protect those they cared for from...what he brought with him."

He lowered his voice. "Growing up, my Da told us stories of the dead returning to haunt the living. But, those tales were always about gests...restless spirits. I never thought such things would come from liquid in a barrel that could be bought and sold."
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 237 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Fri 24 Feb 2017
at 17:06
  • msg #239

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy smiled at Trace's acceptance of the drink and a chair, then nodded at his commentary about an excess of dust. "Yeah, West Texas is like that. There's a little more green further east, but ain't much out this way. Just brown, off-brown, tan, beige, chestnut, khaki, russet, and taupe."

She raised an eyebrow at Trace's attempted deflection of her praise, but she really wasn't going to have any of that. "Trace, ya sliced open yer own body ta try ta distract somma what we faced. I don't think I've ever seen somethin' so selflessly heroic as that. An I've worked with a lotta folk that've done heroic things. We were a bit busy at the time, but don't think I didn't notice whatcha did - don't think I ever thanked you proper fer doin' so, though."

She tapped a finger on the table for a moment while taking a drink from her mug, then leaned forward a little. "Folks ya care for - Trace, ya also have a big heart. Ya were a hired gun, and ya treated the Johnsons like they were family. And close family that ya loved. I know they were good ta ya, but trust me when I say yer a cut above. Way above."

Katy's voice also lowered in response to his comment about the dead. "Yeah, about the dead, I asked ya before if ya can keep a secret. That promise still good?"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 22:54, Fri 24 Feb 2017.
Trace Hargrave
player, 98 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B1
Sat 25 Feb 2017
at 08:15
  • msg #240

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave turned his mug his mug slowly in his hands before taking a sip. "Well...I guess family took on a different kind of importance to me after what happened to mine. I just couldn't stand the thought of the Johnsons being separated, or coming to harm, over something as empty as jealousy."

He took another drink. "Makes you wonder, doesn't it? If Bill had just sat down and talked with his brother, I imagine things would have turned out completely different. Earl probably would never have had need of my services."

He nodded in response to her question. "Yes, ma'am. It is. I won't speak a word of whatever you tell me."
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 240 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Sat 25 Feb 2017
at 08:29
  • msg #241

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy nodded at what Trace had to say. "Seen some folk get bitter and resentful in yer circumstances. But instead ya turn yer love of family ta other folk." Katy smiled, hoping she had made her point. She'd probably over-made it, truth be told.

The Ranger did press her lips together when Trace mentioned Bill's shortcomings. "That mebbe true nuff. But I do gotta say that sometimes stuff like that goes both ways. Sounds like mebbe Earl, nice a man as he is, mebbe shoulda reached out ta his brother 'fore it was too late. Along those lines, I'm glad yer tryin' as hard as ya can ta find yer sister. For my part, I can't ask Rangers ta go lookin' for her insteada doin' other stuff. But I can ask 'em ta keep an eye out. Let me know if anyone happens ta cross her path."

She now smiled more broadly. "Course that means ya gotta find a way ta stay in touch, Trace." Her eyes twinkled a little for a few moments before she stood and moved her chair so she could sit it right next to Trace. It gave her an opportunity to lean in and speak very quietly to him.

"Ain't th' first time I've seen folks what're raised from the dead, Trace. Sometimes it's some sorta liquid, sometimes it's stichin' together body parts and joltin 'em with electricity. Sometimes it's voodoo. An' sometimes some folk jus' refuse ta stay in the hole where they been buried. So we gotta put 'em back down again. Ya ain't goin' crazy, yer jus' seein' what's really there. Not a lotta folk know even parta the truth. But that's parta the job 'o the Rangers. Keepin' folk like Bill from causin' problems, and keeping folk like those in Soccorro from gettin' scared by news o' walkin' dead. S'why I asked ya ta keep it all a secret."
Trace Hargrave
player, 99 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B1
Sun 26 Feb 2017
at 08:35
  • msg #242

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave nodded in humble gratitude. "That's really kind of you, Katy, asking them to be on the lookout for her. I truly appreciate it."

He was silent as he listened to her speak of the things she had faced, shaking his head a couple of times in wonder. "I don't have a lot of struggle, believing in what you've seen. Where I was raised, in the Severn Valley, there's a lot of respect for ancient tradition. Taking steps to honor the spirits of the land and forest, of the animals that give their lives to see people fed. It's positive, for the most part, acknowledging our dependence on nature."

"But...there were some places that had a bad reputation. And there were persistent stories of terrible things going on there. This town called Brichester in particular and the area around it. My Da would never let any of us trade there. Said the place had been overtaken by dark spirits. That's where he insisted that he'd encountered some people who were long dead. Much as I loved England, there was some very real evil there."


He shrugged. "But I haven't seen all the sorts of things you have. I imagine a lot of people can't remain in your job. They can't handle confronting what you have to. That you can is pretty remarkable, ma'am."

"But where I come from, the sort of darkness we're talking about only occurred in pockets, certain specific locations. But it sounds as though here, in America, it's widespread, even if most folks aren't aware of it."

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 242 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Tue 28 Feb 2017
at 05:51
  • msg #243

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy thought for a few moments, still leaning her face close to Trace's. "Ain't nobody mapped 'em all here. But there're definitely some places more susceptible ta, er, hauntins' than others. Kinda like whatcher sayin' bout England."

She considered his compliment about her toughness for a moment with a smile. "No, prolly ain't alotta folk that can handle seein' all I have. More ya see, the tougher ya get, though. Don't usually run across folks I think can necessarily step in and handle the job. But I met one here in Socorro. Fella by the name o' Trace. Ain't never seen someone so ready as ya are." A slight smile underscored the twinkling in her eyes as Katy regarded Trace and wondered how he might respond.
Trace Hargrave
player, 100 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B1
Thu 2 Mar 2017
at 02:55
  • msg #244

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

It took Hargrave a moment to process what Cox had said. When he understood, he chuckled and shook his head. "Katy, I appreciate you calling me brave, but...I would make a terrible addition to your ranks. The way you calmed that crowd outside of the mission, kept this town from turning on itself. I don't have that in me. I'm not that patient with my fellow man."

"I'm a loner. I guess I have been since my brother passed. I don't suppose I ever intended it that way, but now, it's how I've become accustomed to living. Long days and nights keeping watch over someone's herd or property, never bothered by another soul. It's gotten comfortable. In a different life, I imagine I would have made a decent cowhand."


He took another sip of beer. "If you ever need a deputy, someone who's a fair shot with a rifle, I'll gladly serve. But I don't think I'd be the best choice to wear a badge."
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 247 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Thu 2 Mar 2017
at 05:13
  • msg #245

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy sat up a little straighter and twisted her torso so she directly facing Trace. "Ya may say yer a loner, but ya really ain't. Ya like a family, an ya like protectin' folk that ya feel such a kinship with. Rangers are like family, Trace. Once ya jine, yer a brother or sister in arms. And ta top it off, ain't so many of us, so we work alone a lot." She sighed, lightly. "But I know ya gotta find yer sister first, so I ain't expectin' it'd be soon. Once ya find her, though, ya might find ya don't feel that sense o' purpose. Hope that happy day comes soon, and when it does and if ya end up not settlin' down wherever she's at, well, consider joinin' up. We could really use some men like ya."

She tapped a finger on the table for a moment. "As fer future endeavors, I hope ta cross paths again, tha's fer sure. My path is takin' me west inta New Mexico, and beyond the borders o' this fine state. I can only officially deputize here, but, well, ya seen what we're up against. I may haveta ask ya ta help again. Glad ta hear ya might be willin'."

She looked down for a moment and then back at the man. "As fer yer shootin, I ain't seen many better. And I ain't seen many what got blue glowin' bullets, neither. Might be awful useful fer a deputy, truth told. Or a full on Ranger."
The Stray
GM, 2082 posts
The Marshal
'round these parts
Sun 5 Mar 2017
at 01:31
  • msg #246

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

((OOC: Waiting for some sort of wrap-up here...unless you want me to just skip ahead.))
Trace Hargrave
player, 101 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B1
Sun 5 Mar 2017
at 20:59
  • msg #247

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave set his beer down and let his gaze fall to the floor. "Saw that, did you? I'll confess, Katy, most of the time I don't...rely on such help, but we weren't facing a group of hustlers or claim jumpers. They were the dead, who refused to stay in the ground."

"My family, not just my father, but the generations that came before him, have a close relationship with the land. As people who rely on the growing of crops, the raising of animals, we have to. We have a...partnership with the spirits of nature, the land wights, as we know them. And one of the ways they have aided us, over the centuries, is in defending what we hold from those who would abuse it. People who are content to do harm in order to take what they want."


He picked up his beer again, then set it back down. "What you saw was a manifestation of that assistance. Generations ago, my ancestors asked for blessings on their swords and bows. Our weapons are different now."

"It's not something I've discussed with many outside my family. And it's not a power I call upon lightly. But out there, at the Johnson's home, I think it was warranted."

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 251 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Wed 8 Mar 2017
at 21:06
  • msg #248

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy nodded at Trace's response. "Ain't much better time ta ask fer help'n what we faced. I seen some weirdness be thrown about in the last few years, mostly by bad folk. Glad ta run 'cross someone usin' such fer good. An' I hope ya continue ta use it ta keep yerself safe, Trace. An' if ya ever do decide ta become a Ranger, well, whatcha c'n do'll jus' make ya more in demand."

She looked around briefly, then back to Trace. "That said, I ain't puttin' anythin' about the power of land wights in my report. Far as anyone'll know, yer just a crack shot with heroic tendencies that's friendly ta the cause o' the Rangers." Katy took another drink, glad that everything had ended up pretty well. It could have gone so very, very wrong.
Trace Hargrave
player, 105 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B1
Thu 9 Mar 2017
at 22:34
  • msg #249

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

"I'm obliged to you for that, Katy," Hargrave said, "I'm not eager to be famous for those skills, much as I'm thankful for the help they provide, I'd still like to remain just a drifter in the eyes of others. Just a fellow who's good with a rifle."

"I was actually thinking about heading west myself. Over towards Lincoln, San Patricio. Little bit of a cattle boom that way. Thought I'd look for work, see if there were any rumors of my sister."

Catherine Hays Cox
player, 252 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Fri 10 Mar 2017
at 06:47
  • msg #250

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy smiled and nodded at the agreement they seemed to have reached about how much Trace wanted his powers known. And that is to say not at all. Katy pulled her braid over her right shoulder and idly played with the end of it for a few moments before she spoke again. "My path takes me ta El Paso next, Trace. Then ta Roswell - I gotta report ta Captain Ayuso there 'bout what I been findin' out about Bayou Vermillion. Then I should be headin' back west through New Mexico, eventually makin' my way ta Arizona."

The Ranger paused for a few heartbeats. "Don't s'pose ya'd wanna share the trail with me fer a bit since we're headin' the same way? I don't gotta be in El Paso fer long, but if nothin' else it'll be safer ta ride as a pair."
Trace Hargrave
player, 109 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B1
Mon 13 Mar 2017
at 21:39
  • msg #251

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave nodded. "I'll be glad to ride along with you to El Paso. It will be a lot safer traveling together. Especially that direction. That journey cuts through some pretty desolate country."

He grinned. "Well, I think it will be safer. Now that I know the sorts of things you track down all the time, that might actually be a poor assumption on my part."
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 254 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Mon 13 Mar 2017
at 22:51
  • msg #252

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy looked chagrined at Trace's mention of the sorts of quarry she chased. "Ya know, I don't ever think I rightly apologized fer draggin' ya so far inta my mess. I weren't tryin' ta trick ya inta helpin', jus' couldn't tell ya ever'thin' up front. I am really sorry bout that, Trace. I'll be glad of the company on the trail, and mebbe lemme know how I can make it up ta ya?"
Trace Hargrave
player, 112 posts
Drifter
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W2 R1 B1
Tue 14 Mar 2017
at 22:35
  • msg #253

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Hargrave raised a hand and smiled. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he said sincerely, "It's an English habit. Or, more to the point, a family habit. Making light of difficult circumstances. It's how we handled those years we faced a failed harvest."

"I was just teasing, honest. You don't owe me a thing. I truly wouldn't change what happened. Not any part of it. Having a hand in putting a stop to something like that, it helps me know that once in a while, I can actually accomplish a little good here and there. So maybe all this wandering isn't in vain, even if I never find my sister."


He took another drink. "But I'll never understand how you manage to face such things day in and day out."
Catherine Hays Cox
player, 255 posts
Texas Ranger
P5 T6 W0 F0 Cha0 W5R0B0L1
Tue 14 Mar 2017
at 23:54
  • msg #254

Prelude: Don't Drink The Water ((Trace, Katy))

Katy smiled and nodded at Trace's response concerning his appreciation for being able to do some good. "Well, mebbe you'll have ta be a wanderin' do-gooder. Ya've got the wanderin' part down. And ya like ta do good."

Katy looked down at her own drink when he asked about how she handled it every day. It was a good question. She took a drink herself. "Drinkin' helps. But only a little. I guess like many things, ya just get tougher the more ya deal with this sorta stuff. And ya gotta sorta come ta grips with the fact that yer life might be terrible short, and that what remains of it's gonna be pretty rough. Helpin' folk like the Johnsons or savin' the town from gettin' overrun, well, that's what keeps me goin'. My work has already saved a lotta lives, an' I plan ta keep savin' more. Honestly, that's what makes me able ta face such horrors. I don't think of what's in fronta me. I think 'bout those that're behind me."
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