Gila monsters aren't good for much, but they are distinctly Western. Lately a fashion trend back East for cuffs, holsters, and hat bands. It's absurd, at least it has the potential to pay well. Harvesting their toxin might be a boon as well.

Two Crows had recently been honoured with his adult name by the tribe. With the additional freedom, such as the right to carry proper weapons, were the responsibilities that came with it. He now had to contribute to the reserves' fortunes.

The snows were still melting when the hunting party went out. Two Crows' father Wicasa, his aunt Ciquala, and his little sister Talulah bundled their gear onto a Travis pulled by their pony, Hornet. Their destination : the Amber Sea.

Wicasa and Ciquala bantered and argued the entire way. Talulah danced and ran around, when she was not fidgeting with her new knife. Caring for the ten-year-old had been placed on Two Crows' plate.

The scrubland was vast all around them. The distant peaks of the mountains were visible, glinting in the early morning light.

Eventually the two older adults decided the spot was good enough. They were one hundred kilometers north of Corarana, and the land was beginning to look like a proper desert.

"This early in the spring, they will be coming out of hibernation," says Wicasa. "But it is still too cold for their liking. Look for them sunning themselves on rocks. Their prey is crickets. Do you remember your cricket call?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:45, Tue 16 June 2020.

In reply to The Dealer (msg # 1):

Two Crows nodded at Wicasa. He put his hands in front of his mouth, making a small opening. Then he used the space between his palms to act as an echo chamber for his cricket imitation. He grinned at Talulah and made the noise 'aimed' at her, so she could 'reply' with the same sound.

Talulah giggles and gives her best effort. It could be better.

"Fine, good enough. Two Crows, take Talulah and get to work. Remember: intact skins."

Wicasa and Ciquala have .38 repeaters, but only for defence. They are carrying bows and have quivers full of small-game arrows. They tie the pony to the travois with a long rope so that it can graze but not run off.

"Meet us here at the end of the day."

With that, the two older adults head off into the plains.

Make a Survival roll to track a Gila monster. For every Raise, you find another one that day.
Make an attack or stealth roll, your choice, for each one individually. If you hit the TN of 4, you kill it. If you get a Raise, the skin is undamaged.
You have the choice to decide how much attention you want to pay to keeping care of Talulah. Leaving her on her own imposes no penalty on your work. If you take -2, you are keeping an eye on her most of the time. With a -4, you never let her out of your sight and don't let her get too far away.

In reply to The Dealer (msg # 3):

Two Crows had never been good with a bow...or a gun for that matter. However, with Tomahawk, spear, or his preferred hunting tool-a knife, he was deadly accurate. Of course, he tries to make sure Talulah does not get away, but he also wants to impress the elders...

ooc-22:48, Today: Two Crows rolled 6,15 using D8,d6, rerolling max, unique dice with rolls of 6,(6+6+3)15.  Survival roll. Gets +2 from edge, -2 from watching kid.

So that's three Gilas. go ahead and describe how your hunts go. you can continue taking - 2 or change.

In reply to The Dealer (msg # 5):

Two Crows manages to find two of the Lizards engaged in a mating dance. He also found a lone male which had clearly lost his chance at the female. After three quick dagger throws, he impales all three near instantly via his thrown knives. He manages to take them all via head shots, thus leaving the skin largely intact and the animal died instantly. Thus the spirit of the beasts would move into the hunting grounds without pain.

He makes quick work of skinning the animals, gesturing to the little girl and keeping her close. Now that he had gotten three, he could seek more while keeping a more careful eye on the girl.

OOC:
23:10, Today: Two Crows rolled 4,3 using 1d8-2,1d6-2, rerolling max, unique dice with rolls of 6,5.  Survival roll. Gets +2 from edge, -4 from watching kid.

No-one is perfect. Even the best care-givers have a hard time keeping track of fast-moving children. Two Crows is just about done skinning the last of the gilas when he realizes it's been quiet for too long. Quickly, he stands up and looks around. Talulah is nowhere in sight.

Quickly, he runs to the crest of a hill for a better look. Then he breathes a sigh of relief; she is just on the other side of it, crouched down low. He is about to say something, but then sees that she is staying very still and staring intensely at something. This is unusual enough for her that he pauses.

Talulah is looking at a bird. It is squawking pitifully and trying to clean itself, but cannot. She is watching it, arms resting on her knees. Then she looks up and sees Two Crows.

"What is that stuff on it?" she asks. The bird seems to have gotten some sort of slick black liquid on its wings.

In reply to The Dealer (msg # 7):

"I dont know..." he said, approaching carefully. Was it the like the firewater the white man brings? He heard they came in different colors. He bent down carefully and tried to reach for the animal. After all, he doubted it could fly away with that stuff on its feathers...

The bird shrieks and leaps away. A droplet of the stuff falls off its wing.

It has a strong, oily smell. Two Crows thinks it smells a bit like lamp oil or coal.

Talulah has wandered off again. She is following the trail the bird made to get to this point. In its hopping and flailing, it left an irregular trail of marks.

On the other side of the hill, there is a puddle of gooey black liquid. It seems to have come up out of the ground itself.

In reply to The Dealer (msg # 9):

He runs over gently but firmly picks the girl up and places her over his shoulder. Two Crows was quite strong, and could easily lug the girl around for some time before getting sore. He called her 'trouble bundle' while tickling her feet.

When he gets close to the oily pit, he uses his free hand to gather a sample of the stuff before taking the girl away from the awful smell.

The liquid absorbs the sand, turning it into a gritty mess. Larger objects end up slick, covered it in like grease. Two Crows tries to get his hands on it, and feels something wriggling. He jerks his hand away, already half-covered in the goo. There is a bug there, covered in it. It seems to be some sort of cricket. It is clearly unable to fly or function at all.

Wiping the oil off has already proven to be impossible. It seems like that bird is in trouble and this cricket is doomed.

Two Crows hears a gunshot. Then several more gunshots. Talulah's eyes go wide. She struggles free, then runs towards the sound.

In reply to The Dealer (msg # 11):

Two Crows spins about and runs after the girl. Planning on holding her and covering her mouth if need be to keep her silent. Gunshots out here where not a good sign, especially that many. It suggested someone is not hunting...but shooting at soemthing that shoots back.

Two Crows grabs his sister and restrains her, but she continues to struggle. She pulls out her small belt-knife and thrusts it in the direction of the gunshots. Two Crows is having a hard time holding on to her.

The gunshots diminish. Suddenly there is only one gun firing, and then it too stops.

He looks at her, covers her mouth, and points to the ground. Telling her to stay put. Then, only when she agrees, he slowly and carefully heads in the direction of the shots, staying low to the ground.

roll an interaction skill to convince her. TN 4

In reply to The Dealer (msg # 15):

ooc-15:04, Today: Two Crows rolled 1,4 using 1d4,1d6, rerolling max, unique dice with rolls of 1,4.  Persuasion check. Possible bonus for being big brother?

Talulah crouches on the ground, cradling her knife. Her expression is furious, but she accedes to staying put for the time being.

In your next action, roll Stealth and Notice, please.

In reply to The Dealer (msg # 17):

He moves low, but not as quietly as he wished...

ooc-15:40, Today: Two Crows rolled 9,1 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max, unique dice with rolls of (6+3)9,1.  Notice.

15:39, Today: Two Crows rolled 3,4 using 1d6+2,1d6+2, rerolling max, unique dice with rolls of 1,2.  Stealth with edge bonus.

Two Crows stays low, using the sparse cover to best effect. He hears shouting, coarse laughter, and unfamiliar voices speaking in English.

He is almost close enough to see what is going on when he hears something else too. It sounds like spattering fluid. He stays low and peers out from behind a bush. There is a man there relieving himself against a rock.

The man is wearing a black hat and a black duster. He is a white man in his early twenties. Around his neck is hanging a metal mask that would cover most of his face. He is wearing a gun belt with two revolvers and a bandolier. He is at ease as he looks down at what he is doing.

Two Crows moves a different direction. He comes around a bluff to see the real trouble.

A group of six white people are surrounding his family. His aunt is tied up, hands and feet. A woman in a duster is standing behind her, covering her with her own gun.

Two Crows' father is being hog-tied by two dirty, heavily armed men. He is fighting back, but his legs are already bound. The remaining thugs watch and laugh from the backs of their horses, guns held easily in their hands.

Two Crows grits his teeth, but he is torn. What could he do? If he tries to help his family, and he is killed, his sister will die alone in the desert.

He had no choice. He memorized the faces, tried to restrain his tears, and just watched. Maybe they would let his family go. Maybe they would just rob them and humiliate them. Whites had done such before...