Albert frowned. "Investigate? Sure, sounds good. I am curious 'bout what happened ta this fella."

The ranch hand looked outside. "But do know that I just saw all that mist in the streets glow blue. Brief, but not zactly comfortin'. But perhaps our questions will be worth our while."

The face of Stanton’s ghost goes slack with sadness, or regret, as Cooper discusses taking his corpse outside with Dr. Wayland. The spirit pauses, gazing down at its ruined, mortal form until Lee addresses it.

The ghost shrugs hopelessly. ”I’m not rightly sure. I just know I can’t. Since I became...this way I’ve tried to leave this town every way I can think of, but when I start up the slope of the valley, I always find myself back in the middle of Angus.”

“The fella who killed me...I think his name was James, or Jim. Jimmy maybe. I can’t recall too clear. I never heard him comin’. He just sprung on me, caught me unawares in the dead of night. Gutted me like a fish. Never even gave me a chance to say who I was or why I was hidin’ here. As I was sittin’ there, dyin’, he sprinkled me with something. Some kinda pale colored powder. Then I was like this. And I couldn’t leave.”

”That he’s been a corpse for a couple of days now,” McDaniels tells her, ”and that you’re lying. I doubt you’d ever heard Stanton’s name til you came upon that bounty hunter.”

“Doesn’t make any difference now. Your friends...they’re not walking out with Stanton. Or anything else they were lookin’ for.”

Glancing back down at Angus, Castillo sees that the town is now encircled, surrounded by a long line of pale figures, whose bodies shift between solidity and being as translucent as frosted glass. They are male and female, dressed in the attire of farmers and laborers, but each has a gray cast, as though all color had been drained from their features and clothes. The scout has no doubts about what she is seeing. They are fantasmas, the unsettled spirits of the dead.

”You’re concerned for their welfare, you might want to get down there. Can’t promise it’ll make much difference. But you’re welcome to try.”

Never dropping her line on the man, Jacinta threw a glance down below and swore under her breath.  Dark eyes flashed with anger as she put it all together.  "Pinche perra," she growled.  "If they're not leaving, you're not leaving."  And without another word, she pulled the trigger.


Shooting: 22 (4 raises)
Damage: 25 (LFB + Raise)
Initiative: 7D


23:01, Today: Jacinta Castillo rolled 6,22 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,(6+6+6+4)22.  Shooting.
23:07, Today: Jacinta Castillo rolled 12,13 using 3d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2,7,(6+6+1)13.  Damage (+LFB & Raise).
23:08, Today: Jacinta Castillo drew the single card: 7D using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Albert didn't have too much sympathy for a murderer becoming damned in this way, but he made some sympathetic noises nonetheless. "Hm. That don't sound like so good of an endin'. James, Jim, or Jimmy didn't happen to be McDaniels, did it? And maybe I can help with the being able to leave part." Albert reached toward his gun belt, though was interrupted by the report of the rifle.

"Damnation. That sounded like Jacinta." If there were one thing that could break Albert away from an investigation it was the thought that Jacinta might be in danger. He made a break for whichever door was likely to take him toward Jacinta in the quickest manner.

In Angus, the long line of specters surrounding the town gaze at the vacant streets and buildings, their expressions mournful. Then, just as quickly as they appeared, they sink into the earth. Their disappearance is not gentle. Each is pulled down forcefully, as though they were dragged below by an unseen force of great strength.

Inside the teinda, Stanton’s ghost opens his mouth to answer Cooper, but his features abruptly twist into an expression of agony, the only sound he makes is that of a tortured scream. As if pulled by a rope, his spirit is pulled across the empty room toward his body, disappearing within the corpse.

A moment later, the corpse stands up under its own power. It regards those in the room with an enraged gaze before letting out a gurgling, hateful growl.

Cooper rushes to the door of the empty store in time to see the ground bursting throughout the streets of Angus, each spot like a small explosion, showering dirt and rocks into the air. From each rent in the earth emerges a corpse, every one horribly disfigured by putrefaction, some mere steps away from being only skeletons. Scraps of clothing cling to several, each of their hands ending in a set of filthy claws. Their strangled cries fill the silence of the ghost town.

Three of the dead are grouped just outside the tienda. All fix Cooper with a baleful gaze.

OOC: Would everyone down in Angus kindly provide me with an intiative draw?

McDaniels has a Toughness of 11, so Castillo’s attack leaves him shaken with 3 wounds.

He’ll attempt to soak those:

13:54, Today: Jim McDaniels rolled 9,2 using 1d10,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 9,2.  White Chip - Soak Roll.

13:57, Today: Jim McDaniels rolled 4 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4.  Red Chip - Soak Roll.

He does. As all of his wounds were soaked, the shaken condition is also removed. The good news is, he was forced to burn both of his chips in the process.

13:28, Today: Jim McDaniels drew the single card: 10C using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Castillo’s shot staggers McDaniels briefly. He quickly regains his balance and grins. ”Someone give you a bullet with a little extra charm on it, señorita? Better hope that rifle of yours is full of ‘em, or this thing between me and you is gonna be real short.”

Below, in Angus, the scout sees the dead emerging from the dry earth.

McDaniels fixes his gaze on Castillo. The scout sees that his eyes are wholly a pale yellow-green color, each one bisected by a thin, black, horizontal pupil, not unlike those seen in reptiles.

He does not reach for a weapon. Instead, long black talons extend from the fingertips of his gloves.

He closes with the scout in a single, animal lunge, his claws tearing across her chest.

14:09, Today: Jim McDaniels rolled 3,10 using 1d10,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,(6+4)10.  Fighting.

14:09, Today: Jim McDaniels rolled 3,5,1 using 1d12+1,1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,5,1.  Damage.

Total Damage: 9

That will leave Castillo shaken with one wound.

14:18, Today: Jim McDaniels drew the single card: QD using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

”Not too late to run help your comrades,” he tells her, his breath laden with the stink of decay, “Or you can stay here. After I rip you open, I can send your corpse down there to deal with your friends.”

OOC: Your turn, Jacinta. While you’re engaged with McDaniels, I’l keep the initiative order between you and him separate from the rest of the posse in Angus.

Jacinta nimbly dodged the vicious swipe by throwing herself backward against the boulder, long braids flying.  "No need for magic bullets to get the bulge on a tub like you, bato."  Her rifle cracked as another bullet went hurtling across the narrowing distance between them.


White Chip Soak: 9 (Removes Shaken & Wound)
Shooting: 9 (1 Raise)
Damage: 27 (+Raise)
Initiative: 8H

18:45, Today: Jacinta Castillo rolled 9,8 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+3)9,(6+2)8.  Soak Roll.
18:49, Today: Jacinta Castillo rolled 9,5 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+1)9,5.  Shooting.
18:50, Today: Jacinta Castillo rolled 22,5 using 2d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+7)15,7,5.  Damage (+Raise).
18:51, Today: Jacinta Castillo drew the single card: 8H using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Dr. Wayland continued to look back and forth between the ghost and the body.  Obviously trying to reconcile a few things.  Sure, he'd seen some pretty strange things....but this was likely a rarity even in this Weird West.  At some point, he slid his pistol back to its holster at his back.  Didn't really seem useful now.  At Stanton's Ghost's mention of a strange powder sprinkled on the corpse, Wayland moved closer and bent down to try and get closer look at that powder, muttering "Powder....  Pale.... Ghostly...  Why?  Sample....  Ample.... Amplify..."

Before he could really get said closer look, the rifle report boomed across the town.  Wayland quickly straightened up and looked to the door, suggesting, "A signal, perhaps?  A wahning?"  On cue, the ghost was whipped across the room, very nearly through the Doctor, and back to the corpse.  Which then became much more animated than one generally expected from a days-old corpse, "Wahning indeed!"

03:08, Today: Dr. Ezekiel Q. Wayland drew the single card: 8H using a deck of 54 cards. Initiative!

Castillo’s shot is well aimed, a testament to the scout’s marksmanship.

It hits McDaniels in the face, just below his right eye. But as it strikes his flesh, the bullet flattens, the soft lead expanding as if it had slammed into steel. It clings to his skin for an instant, then falls away, landing harmlessly in his open hand, not even leaving a mark behind.

He smiles, his yellow teeth jagged and smeared with ash. “Actually señorita, you do,” he replies, letting the spent bullet tumble from his fingers. ”Just the one then, I take it?”

Mundane weapon - no damage taken

“They yearn for what they fear for.” He lunges toward Castillo a second time, his movements almost entirely inhuman. ”Run, run little rabbit,” he hisses.

15:40, Today: Jim McDaniels rolled 4,5 using 1d10,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,5.  Fighting.

15:41, Today: Jim McDaniels rolled 10,5 using 1d12+1,1d8, rerolling max with rolls of 9,5.  Damage.

Total Damage: 15

That will leave Castillo shaken with 2 wounds.

15:57, Today: Jim McDaniels drew the single card: 4S using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Your turn, Señorita Castillo

OOC: QS for initiative.

14:28, Today: Albert Cooper drew the single card: QS using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:54, Sun 02 June 2019.

OOC:

Question:

Not sure of what the timing is on all of this. Bryan surely would've heard the rifle reporting in the distance - could he have used the last remainder of his Quickness to go check on Jacinta, taking him a bit closer to that conflict?

Initiative: JC

16:47, Today: Bryan Lee drew the single card: JC using a deck of 54 cards.

OOC: Lee could get further than Cooper was able to, but he would not have been able to actually reach the point, midway up the ridge, where the fight between Castillo and McDaniels was taking place.

In my estimation, Lee would be able to make it to the outskirts of Angus, near the start of the slope to the ridge. Now, please understand that there are walking corpses scattered all around the ghost town, so it’s quite possible that Lee might have to contend with one two at the settlement’s border.

Just let me know what you elect to do, and I’ll set up things accordingly.

"¡Puta Madre!  ¡Cucuy!"  Jacinta swore, eyes widening in shock at how the man shook off what should have been a brain-splattering kill.  His lunge came so swiftly that she almost didn't register it until it was too late.  His claws caught her shirt as she threw herself sideways, ripping easily through fabric.  She turned her tumble down the slope into a controlled slide and then launched herself into a full run toward the town, moving as far and as fast as she could away from the inhuman.  His taunts rang harshly in her ears, but she knew when she'd been beaten and thought it better to take her chance with her friends than alone with el diablo.



Initiative: 8S

- Burning 1W 1R 1B to eliminate Jacinta's 2 wounds and Shaken condition.
- Using Jacinta's turn to flee to Angus

14:38, Today: Jacinta Castillo rolled 1,5 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,5.  White Chip Soak.
14:39, Today: Jacinta Castillo rolled 2 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2.  Red Chip Soak.
16:24, Today: Jacinta Castillo rolled 1 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1.  Blue Chip Soak.
16:37, Today: Jacinta Castillo drew the single card: 8S using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

OOC:

Well, I figured since he heard the shots and that they didn't seen directed at Stanton as planned, that Jacinta might be in trouble or at least dealing with a new situation. He'd have wanted to make his way in that direction to see what was up, but would stop to engage the first deader in his path (so as not to take any free strikes). I leave it up to you as to where that puts him.

McDaniels crouches down on his haunches, making no move to pursue the retreating scout, content to watch her, and the darkness that has overtaken Angus, a cruel smile on his monstrous features.

Castillo’s slide enables her to land on her feet, her subsequent run bringing her to the edge of town, where she spots a pair of risen corpses that have just emerged from the ground. A moment later, Lee rounds the corner of the building to the left, a few paces away from the dead men.

OOC: Okay, I’m going to compromise. Lee will get within one move action away from Castillo, but in the process of dashing through town, he takes one wound from a deader, which will turn him into a zombie wing chun expert in three rounds. The good news is that it provides him 4 points of armor against any kind of physical damage, except fire. The bad news is that every round he throws a punch or kick, there’s a 20% chance that the limb in question flies off of him in the process of making the strike. Missing extremities can be retrieved and reattached.

I’m kidding.

I’m actually going to say that Lee was able to reach the point I’ve marked on the map by moving through town while the dead were still emerging from the earth.



As always, please forgive my clumsiness in producing tactical maps.

L = Bryan Lee
J = Jacinta Castillo
C = Albert Cooper

Z = Walking Corpse

Currently Dr. Wayland and Bauer (and Stanton) are still in the teinda, the structure marked with an X on the map.

Please note that the map incorporates, for lack of a better term, fog of war. The dead that are marked are only those that are immediately visible to one or more characters.

20:37, Today: Lena Bauer drew the single card: 10D using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

20:44, Today: The Dead drew the single card: 4S using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Initiative Order

QS - Albert Cooper
JC - Bryan Lee
10D - Lena Bauer
8S - Jacinta Castillo
8H - Dr. Ezekiel Wayland
4S - The Dead

Albert, it’s your turn.

Note: Unlike in Deadlands Classic (or George Romero films), these deaders don’t require a head shot to be killed. Called shots to the head do additional damage (+4), but aren’t necessary to put them down.

For reference, the deaders have a Parry of 5 and a Toughness of 7. Their Pace is 4.

Albert looked at the wall of zombie-flesh between him and the direction he wanted to go. "Well, shit."

He spun his pistol on his finger and blue lightning ran up and down the barrel before a bullet flew from the barrel. It struck one of the dedders center mass. Of course there were more...which meant this was quite the pickle.

"J-Lo, y'alright!?!?" Albert called in her direction, hoping that she was taking care of herself. He knew she was plenty capable, but anyone left alone was vulnerable. A person could only look in so many directions at once.

OOC:
08:01, Today: Albert Cooper drew the single card: 2H using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

08:01, Today: Albert Cooper rolled 11 using 2d6+5, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3.  Damage.

08:00, Today: Albert Cooper rolled 5,7 using d8+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,5.  Shooting.

07:59, Today: Albert Cooper rolled 7,10 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,(6+4)10.  Hexslinger (Smite).
This message was last edited by the player at 15:17, Mon 03 June 2019.

The bolt of blue energy that slams into the reanimated corpse, the centermost of the three facing Cooper, literally cuts the creature in half, the charred remnants of the zombie landing on the street with a heavy thud. If the other two deaders are aware of their fellow’s demise, they show no reaction.

Initiative Order

QS - Albert Cooper
JC - Bryan Lee
10D - Lena Bauer
8S - Jacinta Castillo
8H - Dr. Ezekiel Wayland
4S - The Dead

Ranger, you’re next.

Bryan shifted to his right as he saw Jacinta making a bee line towards him, and took up a position that would let him take a swing or two at one of the deaders without giving both of them an easy shot at him - and hopefully leaving a clear line of sight for Jacinta.

OOC:

Attack: 4
Attack (Wing Chun): 16

Guessing only the second hit, and with a raise at that likely, so I rolled Damage only once:

Damage: 14

15:18, Today: Bryan Lee rolled 14 using d6+d4+d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(4+4+3)11,2.  Damage.
15:15, Today: Bryan Lee rolled 16,4 using d10+2,d6+2, rerolling max.  Fighting Wing Chun (Wild Attack).
15:15, Today: Bryan Lee rolled 4,4 using d10+2,d6+2, rerolling max.  Fighting (Wild Attack).

15:21, Today: Bryan Lee drew the single card: 6D using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.


This message was last edited by the player at 20:22, Mon 03 June 2019.

With a strike so swift it escapes vision, Lee decapitates the closest of the walking corpses, sending the crushed head flying into a nearby clump of spruce. The body spasms violently, then topples to the dusty ground.

Bauer unleashes a paragraph’s worth of curses as Stanton rises. She shoulders her shotgun without hesitation, reflexively pulling both of the weapon’s triggers as the corpse advances toward her and Dr. Wayland.

16:19, Today: Lena Bauer rolled 2,6,4 using 1d8,1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,6,4.  Shooting.

16:21, Today: Lena Bauer rolled 23,11 using 3d6,3d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+6+5)17,4,2,5,4,2.  Damage.

The shotgun’s report is tremendously loud inside the confines of the tienda. The weapon’s blast pulverizes Stanton’s chest, reducing his upper body to a fine mist. His arms spin off into different corners of the room, while his head bounces off of the top of the counter before disappearing behind it.

16:37, Today: Lena Bauer drew the single card: 8C using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

Initiative Order

QS - Albert Cooper
JC - Bryan Lee
10D - Lena Bauer
8S - Jacinta Castillo
8H - Dr. Ezekiel Wayland
4S - The Dead

[u]Your turn, Señorita Castillo.

"Yea, just mighty pissed!"  Jacinta yelled back at Albert.  "McDaniels set us up and he ain't gonna die that easy."  Now wasn't the time for a full on explanation, however.  She jerked the lever on her Winchester to chamber another round and took a shot at the nearest dead head between her and Bryan.


Shooting: 4
Damage: 10
Initiative: 8H

Playing Adventure Card:
7D - Inspiration -- Friendly characters get +2 to trait rolls for one round


00:15, Today: Jacinta Castillo rolled 2,2 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2.  Shooting.
00:22, Today: Jacinta Castillo rolled 10 using 2d8, rerolling max with rolls of (8+1)9,1.  Damage.
00:23, Today: Jacinta Castillo drew the single card: 8H using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:04, Tue 04 June 2019.

Castillo’s shot blasts the advancing corpse’s lower jaw off of its head. The undead creature staggers, its black tongue lolling, clearly disoriented and struggling to remain on its feet.

The zombie is shaken.

With regard to the Inspiration card that Castillo deployed, I’m going to rule that each member of the posse will benefit from the bonus on their next action. So the next time each character acts, be it in this round or the next, they’ll be able to apply the +2 to whatever trait rolls they make. Once everyone in the group has benefitted from the bonus one time, the effect will expire.

Initiative Order

QS - Albert Cooper
JC - Bryan Lee
10D - Lena Bauer
8S - Jacinta Castillo
8H - Dr. Ezekiel Wayland
4S - The Dead

Dr. Wayland, you have the floor.

Bryan and Jacinta, please provide me with a Notice roll.

Dr. Wayland turned away from the newly risen Stanton, not so much in fear of the dead man (he had seen such things before while workin' on the railroad).  He had noted Bauer's shotgun coming up and hypothesized the likely result of both barrels at close range.  He continued his turn, even as Stanton shattered, and headed for the door coat-tails flapping.  He thumbed the catch for the clockworks, spinning up the dynamo to top off the charges he was sure he would be expending.

Reaching the door, Wayland stepped out next to Cooper and swung the lightning gun towards the pair closest, hoping to catch them in the sweep of the arc.  A hum vibrating through the wiring to the front coil before a brilliant, blinding bolt of lightning snapped out across the misty street.  The Doctor whipped the snapping arcs around in an only vaguely controlled fashion.  His smile was almost as brilliant as the flare of the electricity.

Shooting (Burst) - 7 (They Agi vs. 7 to avoid?)
Damage 1 - 17
Damage 2 (just in case I could catch 2) - 12

Next Round Card - 3H

2:17, Today: Dr. Ezekiel Q. Wayland drew the single card: 3H using a deck of 54 cards.  Intiative!
12:16, Today: Dr. Ezekiel Q. Wayland rolled 12 using 2d10, rerolling max with rolls of 8,4.  Damage 2 (If I managed to catch the other one).
12:15, Today: Dr. Ezekiel Q. Wayland rolled 17 using 2d10, rerolling max with rolls of 9,8.  Damage 1.
12:12, Today: Dr. Ezekiel Q. Wayland rolled 7,7 using d8+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 5,5.  Lightning Burst!