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[Stirk]

Unfortunately for the bandits, the deadliest gun they're facing ain't the big one on the train. Maybe it makes an impressive noise, but the one they should really be hiding from is the little one in in Frostbite's hand.

Bang. One shot fires out toward the target in his sights. A bandit known as Crooks, though that will mean little once he's in an unmarked grave.
Bang. A second shot, at a separate target. Hope Loveless, as it turns out. Ironic name for a bandit, though I guess even bandits need hope.

Too bad right now they are hopeless  .

Double Shot Crooks and Hope Loveless.

[Dwarmin]

Fiona had cheered and clapped Mr. Simmons on the shoulder as the big gun*1 spun up, as if to show him his doubts were completely unfounded.

"Hurrah!" She called, in a very un-Rimer like way. The look of fierce joy on her pretty features, however, might have fit in better. Fiona felt courage flow through her-metaphorically speaking of course, she was still fairly scared. But now the plan was working and all she had to do was move things along...

...

"...Mr. Simmons, I shall take the side of the tracks facing the Hill and direct the workers there. You shall take the other side. It is important to show bravery, and no more of a risk than the men and women working are taking." She said quietly. Now that ugly vase was shown in the light, she couldn't help but understand what it was. "If I should fall, take my place. And choose the person who will follow after you, of course." She told him. "I have absolute faith we will succeed. We need only the courage to act." Fiona had said, giving him that straight to the soul look that convinced so many people of her intentions. It had broken a few hearts as well.

...

Part of being a leader is setting a good example, and Fiona decided she'd be the first to take the step toward the distant obstructions. Mr. Simmons would follow. Then the others.

She had only to walk forward, after all. She began to do so and her mind drifted, waiting for whatever happened to happen. Hadn't her brother done as much? She had loved him as a brother, after all-just another young man dead in the fields of Gul. But his friend, the one with the bad leg and eye, had told Fiona that he had been very brave. He had done his duty and killed a dozen of the hated Gulians, leading his men to victory *2 -though it had been as short lived as any in the long history of wars between the neighboring countries.

It had ultimately been another knot in the rope that led her here. Her family had no male heir remaining to inherit. She had been chosen in his place-both a goad and a chain against her rebellious nature. The last and the least of her sisters, so they told her, given the dubious honor of having the largest dowry. Perhaps in another world, a better world, he would have been here in her place.*3 He had often wrote of journeying to the Rime in his letters, especially when he could not write of the things he had seen or done-he wrote of his dreams of starting over in a place where the cold air was cleansing and harsh, but clean, oh so very clean. Free air. Air free of smog and filth...the stench of blood. *4 He had been a better, braver person than she. He had been a hero, and her ideal of him had shaped her way of viewing things growing into an adult. Since he was not here, it was down to her. A scared girl.

Fiona sensed she would soon have things to regret-the least of which was death-but, she did not regret stepping forward. Perhaps she would see her brother somewhere up ahead.

Action: Fiona leads the workers to clear the obstructions!

1* Fiona had no idea what this weapon was called. The Spin Gun? The Terrible Engine? The Repeating Man-Destroyer? Her brother had wrote of many things in the war, such as the beautiful but terrible Razor Men and the soaring Steam-Eagles crewed by cocky pilots, or the sport and play he and his soldier friends made in their quieter moments-but he had little interest in teaching her about the cruelty of the weapons. She was only happy it was on their side.

2* Even thinking of the Guls made her hand clench into an unladylike fist, though she was not conscious of this. Surely none would are come to the Rime, unless they were bandits preying on honest men and women-that would suit their cowardly and brutal natures so. She been relieved those speaking the Gul tongue on the train had been from places she had never heard of.

3* The idea that they might have traveled together had been a distant promise, a forbidden dream, and it didn't reoccur to her now-brother and sister, adventurers in the Rime. Her parents had stopped the letters when they found out, disapproving of his filling her head with such ideas. His death had snuffed out even the hint of such a thing, though clearly something lingered.

4* Fiona was now getting the idea that were somethings you couldn't ever get away from.

[Egan_BW]

I imagine that I heard the crewman shouting in the engine room, just one car over. That seems suspicious, are gunshots indeed audible from the passenger compartments?

[hector13]

Cormac frowns slightly.

“What the heck they shootin’ at in there?”

The bandits must still be headed to the engine car, it’s the only thing that makes sense...

He gets the attention of the engineer and other crewmen, pointing with his gun to the one that just ran in.

“You know this man?”

Also, see if I can divine anything just by the look of him.

[IronyOwl]

"You didn't really think it'd work, did you?" Rimelight crowed at the bandits, hollering through the storm. "Barriers on the tracks, barriers on the hill. Just delaying the inevitable, I'm sure you'd agree! Nothing out here but the cold, now. You ready for the cold? If you are, it shouldn't be long. If you aren't, you might want to reconsider!"

Intimidate bandits. Get to cover if there is any, but favor moving up the hill, not down.

[Digital Hellhound]

The Firefight

Spoiler: Combat Log (click to show/hide)

Frostbite shoots at Crooks, DC 15: 5+5+2=12, miss
Frostbite shoots at Hope Loveless, DC 15: 19+5+2=26, 3 DoS, Severely Wounded (-2 impairment, 13: Knocked Out)
Hope Loveless is Incapacitated

Doc Montmare shoots at Machabee Blose, DC 15: 5+5=10, miss

Crooks shoots at Frostbite, DC 21: 1!, gun jams

Chief Gorwan cowers

Hope Loveless tries to wake up, Might DC 15: 16+1-2=15, 1 DoS, wakes up
Hope Loveless is no longer incapacitated

Sir Rimelight intimidates the lot, Presence DC 15: 7+6=13, 1 DoF, no effect
Sir Rimelight seeks cover, Wits DC 10: 17+0=17, 2 DoS, finds cover (+2 Defense)

Mara shoots at Ember Firebeard, DC 18: 19+9=28, 3 DoS, Severely Wounded=>Hardy=>Wounded (-2 impairment)

Machabee Blose shoots at Doc Montmare, DC 15: 7+4=11, miss

Sam Loveless rushes to his wife, shoots at Frostbite, DC 21: 9+4=13, miss

Sounder shoots at Machabee Blose, DC 15: 8+8=16, 1 DoS, Grazed (-2 until next turn)

Ember Firebeard seeks cover, Wits DC 10: 15+3-2=16, 2 DoS, finds cover (+2 Defense)
Ember Firebeard shoots at Doc Montmare, DC 15: 17+6-2=21, 2 DoS, Wounded (-2 impairment)

The sound of bullets whining past might as well be the buzz of insects to Frostbite. The veteran gunman fires twice at two low figures on the top of the hill. His second target goes down with a hit to the jaw. She tumbles down into the snow, but soon peeks her head back out. The lower part of her face is a mangled mess, much to the dismay of another bandit who rushes over to tend to her.

The two parties exchange gunfire. None of the attackers are hit by luck or lack of accuracy on their opponents' part. Cries of pain and dull, fleshy impacts speak of hits to the bandits, on the other hand. The old woman Mara scores a perfect chest shot on a big and ugly man with a scraggly black beard, but he barely seems to notice. From the way the man carries on shouting to his companions, he has to be their leader. He drops down behind a boulder and returns fire with a precise shot that catches Doc Montmare in the shoulder. The gentleman scholar lets out a very unrefined sort of curse.

Sir Rimelight elects for words rather than bullets. His promises of terrible doom and death are largely lost under the howling wind and the chorus of gunshots, unfortunately, and if his opponents hear any of it they appear to pay it no mind. He finds cover behind the bandits' discarded wagon, plotting his next move.

Sir Rimelight has +2 Defense from cover.

Spoiler: Initiative/Status (click to show/hide)

Frostbite (Fastest in the East)
Doc Montmare (18+3=21)/Wounded
Crooks [Bandit] (18+2=20)
Chief Gorwan (18+3-2=19)
Hope Loveless [Bandit] (17+2=19)/Severely Wounded
Sir Rimelight (15+4-2=17)
Mara (10+4-2=12)
Machabee Blose [Bandit] (10+2=12)/Grazed
Sam Loveless [Bandit] (7+2=9)
Sounder (3+5=8)
Ember Firebeard [Bandit] (1+3=4)/Wounded

***

Spoiler: Sir Rimelight (click to show/hide)

Health: Fine.
Inventory:
+Family Rifle [+0] [A well-loved, well-crafted if now-obsolete rifle passed down from father to son until ripped from their cold, dead hands by its present owner.]
+Frontier Suit [A rough-spun suit, fur pelt and sleek croc leather shoes make up a killer ensemble.]
+Suitcase [A fine suitcase with a complicated lock meant to deter the greedy hands of lessers.]
--Provisions (4 Days) [Jerky, dried kelp and icy water form much of a Rimer's diet.]
--Fuel (1 Day) [Even a little firewood or coal on hand can be the difference between life and death out here.]
--Terminus Express Ticket [A piece of paper entitling you to a journey aboard the Terminus Express. The stops are listed as: Konigshain (Thaw) - Lorel (Thaw) - Marrow - Warren - Cauldron - Bleak House - Gossamer - Stalwart - Crescent - Shoal - Ossuary.]
Scrip: 150¤
Stats:
Might: 2
Speed: 4
Learning: 2
Wits: 0
Presence: 6
Mind: 2
Traits:
*Menacing: Intimidation results in severe impairment (-5) instead of impairment, or has a stronger effect otherwise.
*Quick Attack: Make two attacks in a turn at half your attack bonus.
*Icy Rage: When slighted, annoyed, mildly irritated, or otherwise irked, enter a deathly cold fury and go to town on an opponent of your choosing. Until the target is dead or combat ends, ignore impairment from Wounds, receive a +2 attack bonus against the target, and automatically pass Mind checks that would interfere with the necessary murder. If the target escapes or defeats you, suffer a -5 impairment to all checks for the next day. [A terrible rage lurks beneath his placid facade, surfacing any time anyone tries to take what's his.]

Spoiler: Ronald 'Frostbite' McCarthy (click to show/hide)

Health: Fine.
Inventory:
+Rimer Sixshooter [+0] [A revolver of low-quality steel, fashioned in some backwater Rimer gun shop. It does its job well enough.]
+Fur Clothes [A Rimer with any wits knows the best protection against the cold are clothes lined with the fur of a white bear.]
+Bag [A trusty leather bag, a veteran of many journeys.]
--Provisions (4 Days) [Jerky, dried kelp and icy water form much of a Rimer's diet.]
--Fuel (1 Day) [Even a little firewood or coal on hand can be the difference between life and death out here.]
--Terminus Express Ticket [A piece of paper entitling you to a journey aboard the Terminus Express. The stops are listed as: Konigshain (Thaw) - Lorel (Thaw) - Marrow - Warren - Cauldron - Bleak House - Gossamer - Stalwart - Crescent - Shoal - Ossuary.]
Scrip: 150¤
Stats:
Might: 1
Speed: 5
Learning: 1
Wits: 3
Presence: 1
Mind: 5
Traits:
*Fastest in the East: Always win Initiative in combat.
*Quick Attack: Make two attacks in a turn at half your attack bonus.
*Never Give Up: Receive a bonus to Mind checks that increases the worse your odds of survival or victory are. [Never stop, never hesitate; not when there lives on the line.]

The Train Party

Cormac sees no reason to trust the unknown man's word. He keeps the 'crewman' at gun's length and calls out to the other crew members in the engine compartment for verification.

'That's, um, I know 'im,' one of the engineers says. 'I mean, he's one of us. Anders, right?'

The crewman nods urgently. 'I'm telling you! Someone was shooting down there! Must've been bandits!'

[Wits DC 10: 17+6=23, 3 DoS] The man seems both earnest and very much afraid. He doesn't look capable of any great subterfuge. If nothing else, he thinks he's telling the truth.

In the rotary car, Ulien moves towards the passenger compartments to listen. Other than the terrible wind and the distant crack of gunfire from the hill, she can hear nothing. Then again, the crewman might've come from further down the train and heard what he claims to have heard there. There's plenty of coal wagons between her and the passenger compartments.

***

Spoiler: Ulien Inervios (click to show/hide)

Health: Fine.
Inventory:
+Rimer Sixshooter [+0] [A revolver of low-quality steel, fashioned in some backwater Rimer gun shop. It does its job well enough.]
+Traveling Clothes [A woolen dress, good leather boots and warm gloves make practical and dependable traveling clothes in the Rime.]
-Moonshine [Something to keep you warm on the worst of Rimer nights.]
+Luggage [A worn suitcase with everything a Rimer girl needs on her travels.]
--Provisions (4 Days) [Jerky, dried kelp and icy water form much of a Rimer's diet.]
--Fuel (1 Day) [Even a little firewood or coal on hand can be the difference between life and death out here.]
--Terminus Express Ticket [A piece of paper entitling you to a journey aboard the Terminus Express. The stops are listed as: Konigshain (Thaw) - Lorel (Thaw) - Marrow - Warren - Cauldron - Bleak House - Gossamer - Stalwart - Crescent - Shoal - Ossuary.]
Scrip: 150¤
Stats:
Might: -2
Speed: 4
Learning: 5
Wits: 3
Presence: 2
Mind: 4
Traits:
*Expert (Delving): Double your Learning bonus for checks related to diving suits and delving. 
*Lethal Shot: Ranged damage inflicted is always increased to next level; Grazes to Wounds, Wounds to Severe Wounds, Severe Wounds to Death, and so.
*Head for Business: Double your Wits bonus for bartering and negotiating for trade. [It takes a special keen kind of mind to take over one's father's shop and keep it afloat in hard times.]

Spoiler: Cormac Hess (click to show/hide)

Health: Fine.
Inventory:
+Snow Gun [+0] [A stocky white-painted rifle favored by bandits wanting to blend into their surroundings. It's not the most accurate weapon, but it is dependable even in bad weather and deadly in the hands of a skilled shooter.]
+Fur Clothes [A Rimer with any wits knows the best protection against the cold are clothes lined with the fur of a white bear.]
+Bag [A military-issue sling bag, perhaps looted off the body of some unfortunate Inner soldier boy.]
--Provisions (4 Days) [Jerky, dried kelp and icy water form much of a Rimer's diet.]
--Fuel (1 Day) [Even a little firewood or coal on hand can be the difference between life and death out here.]
--Terminus Express Ticket [A piece of paper entitling you to a journey aboard the Terminus Express. The stops are listed as: Konigshain (Thaw) - Lorel (Thaw) - Marrow - Warren - Cauldron - Bleak House - Gossamer - Stalwart - Crescent - Shoal - Ossuary.]
Scrip: 150¤
Stats:
Might: 1
Speed: 4
Learning: 1
Wits: 6
Presence: 0
Mind: 4
Traits:
*Keen Senses: Never suffer increased difficulty from environmental conditions, such as blizzards, for perception checks.
*Frugal: Heat requirements halved in the wild.
*Bandit Cunning: You can make a surprise attack even when a target is fully aware of you, gaining a free attack round, though the target retains their normal Defense and won't fall for the same trick twice. [A bandit never reveals their true colors until the last, deadly moment.]

The Clearing Party

Fiona gives the signal to move, and the laborers move. There's a moment when she steps outside the solid protective bulwark of the train that Fiona is utterly certain she will be dead from a bandit's bullet in a second - but that bullet never comes. The hilltop is awash with crackling gunfire, but none of it is coming their way. The way is clear. Only the cold and wind are there to slow down their passage.

It's slow and anxious going, but she gets the four groups there quickly enough. The blockade grows in sight - an enormous mound of boulders placed over the tracks. She begins to wonder just how the bandits actually got all these boulders here when the first laborer reaches the blockade and pokes it with his pick.

The pick goes right through the rock. Or, as it quickly becomes clear, straight through the canvas. These aren't boulders at all. At close range it's impossible to make the mistake. The bandits have brought together wood and painted canvas to make a false blockade - to give the impression of a huge stack of rocks, rather than go to the trouble of actually creating one. There's nothing really blocking the way - the train could probably have gone straight through this.

'Well, I'll be damned...' Mr Simmons says. 'Oh, I bet they're laughing real good right now. Think they're so damn clever...

***

Spoiler: Fiona 'Fry' McDougan (click to show/hide)

Health: Fine.
Inventory:
+Cast-Iron Pan [+0] [A very fine cast-iron frying pan, something of a family heirloom. It's found some use as a surprisingly potent melee weapon.]
+Mismatch Clothes [A poorly-planned mismatch of fine upper-class Inner clothes and low-quality furs and pelts from the Rime.]
+Parasol [Few in the Rime know what this is, and those who do don't believe their eyes.]
+Luggage [A heavy traveling case full of pots, pans, utensils, spices and foodstuffs - a veritable walking kitchen in disguise.]
--Quality Provisions (4 Days) [Fruit, rich dark bread, berries, cinnamon, pepper, ginger and cloves, tea leaves, coffee, even a little chocolate...]
--Terminus Express Ticket [A piece of paper entitling you to a journey aboard the Terminus Express. The stops are listed as: Konigshain (Thaw) - Lorel (Thaw) - Marrow - Warren - Cauldron - Bleak House - Gossamer - Stalwart - Crescent - Shoal - Ossuary.]
Scrip: 150¤
Stats:
Might: 1
Speed: 3
Learning: 3
Wits: 3
Presence: 3
Mind: 3
Traits:
*Frontier Cook: With ample food, create meals for up to 5 people that grant a +2 inspiration bonus for the day.
*Team Heart: Assisting others grants them your full ability bonus instead of half, and you can assist several people at once (when physically possible).
*Hope Bringer: Negate any Trauma results from Severe Wounds for friendlies. [There's always a little light when she's there, even at the worst of times.]

[Dwarmin]

Fiona frowned, then nodded. She takes Mr. Simmons in for a short conference, speaking close over the howling wind.

"...Right, they're going to be attacking the train now. They wanted to draw all the passengers and defenders off and leave us stranded out here, I think? Suppose it makes sense. They didn't plan on us organizing to clear the barricade so that they could leave. So there was no barricade.

But I'm thinking they didn't plan on us being organized at all.

Mr. Simmons, you're a good man-sprint ahead of this rowdy pack and inform the engine room that we're done wasting time here. Take a few of these stout fellows with you, the ones who'd fight with their back to a wall, but not all of them-we don't need a mob rush back to the train. We do need to keep them out of the engine, wouldn't you say? We'll be right behind you. Make sure you carry your picks and shovels, so they don't think you're bandits.

Do be careful, sir. We can trust everyone out here in the snow, but everyone on the train is now a suspect."

At least she thought she wasn't going to be shot at the moment any longer. The bandits weren't shooting at the train tracks anymore, and the only bandits left were trying to take the train. Or possibly already had taken the train. She wouldn't be terribly surprised to see it roaring past, hooting and laughing bandits jumping up and down as it went by.

...

She addressed everyone, or more precisely, she addressed her minders and trusted them to make sure her orders were clear enough for everyone to hear. She realized her mere presence gave them an air of authority they could use to enforce her orders.

"All right everyone! We're heading back. Mr. Simmons is taking a few stout men to reinforce the engine room. The rest of us, well, obviously we've been gulled. Our mission has changed. Now we must re-take our train, which I believe will shortly come under attack. Keep your tools! We may still need them-we're not fighters, but if we stay together and stay organized, our weight of numbers will overcome anyone standing in our way. Our job isn't to fight, but we're not staying out here in the cold either.

Orderly lines and all that, and move out. And pace quickly...we'll go faster in the direction of warmer feet! Onward! The jobs not yet done!" She called cheerfully, flashing her parasol in several directions at once, toward each of the minders. It was the signal to move.

She could not, in fact, feel her feet anymore. Not that it would have kept her from leading the march back-she planned to merely reverse the directions of the groups, who she had tried hard to keep in orderly lines. Granted, now the slower people would be in the lead (this included herself), but it wouldn't do good to have them left behind in the rush-and now she learned another useful Rime lesson. Apparently it was much easier to travel when someone had cleared the snow ahead of you. The lines of laborers had cleared two neat furrows to either side of the tracks, as clear as a fenced gravel path winding through a garden.

But now she was faced with the dubious idea of leading people into battle. She had no doubt a mob armed with shovels and picks would tear a group of bandits apart, even armed, but it would result in many injuries and deaths. Of course, letting the bandits steal the train would be worse. She would have to confer with whomever was guarding the engine, if anyone still was. Hopefully the return of the passengers would convince the bandits their plan had failed and they should retreat.

Action: Fiona uses her signals to quick-march the laborers right back to the train along the path they cleared getting here, to assess conditions for re-boarding or possibly re-taking the train.

She sends Mr. Simmons and a few strong and quick men ahead at a run to inform the Engine that the blockade is a fake.

[hector13]

Cormac nods and considers things for a moment. Their target is still the engine, but that doesn’t mean they can’t prepare for it.

“Okay, there ain’t nothin’ important in the passenger cars, least not for the folks who want the train. They’re headin’ for the this here engine car, an’ we gotta stop ‘em, ‘less you wanna be chewin’ ice for dinner.

‘cause of Anders here, we know they gotta be comin’, so we’re gonna hole up near the car that big gun is on so we don’t lose that. The last thing we want is for the bandits on the hill to help out their friends on the train, okay? We got more than just ourselves to worry about here, and I’ll be damned if I’m walkin’ the rest of the way to Stalwart.”

He addresses the crew for the engine car.

“You got any sheets of canvas or anything back here, big enough to hide a person holdin’ a weapon? I’ll need enough for each of us, and some smaller ones too.”

Find a defensive position around the gun car, preferably that allows an ambush to be set while also allowing me to keep an eye on the accountant. If I get a canvas sheet, set it in such a position I can hide under it and clearly see the door the bandits are likely going to come through, but also easily roll behind cover after I reveal my position. If I get more sheets, hand them out to the other side so they can hide too, and throw the smaller sheets over things in the car so it doesn’t look quite so obvious.

Once that’s all set:

“I take the first shot, then you guys shoot ‘em all up ‘til they stop twitchin’”

There can’t be too many of ‘em, too hard to keep a large group organized. Likely be good shots too, gotta be careful...

((Not really sure how to set up my action from here in such a manner that it can be easily processed and not be meta or anything...))

Wait until a bandit enters and is either about to see one of my colleagues, or gets to the middle of the car, and start shooting, favoring the one either closest to me or most likely to shoot one of the other defenders.

[Egan_BW]

Dammit, I already did my part. It was actually a really big thing! Time to watch out for my own skin.
By which I mean, find some damn good cover from where ever the enemy seems most likely to come from.

[IronyOwl]

"Wisdom is seldom appreciated in its own time," Rimelight mutters to himself, smiling unpleasantly.

Double attack Crooks and Sam Loveless

[Stirk]

Got to hand it to them, the Rime made the bandits tough. Or at least desperate, I suppose even a cornered rat can put on a good show in its final moments. Our group is getting pretty beat up, I'd better end this quickly or we'll be dragging bodies back.

One shot this time, on one of the last pristine bandit. Sam Loveless. Its an old trick, if something a bit cruel. Shoot one target, wounding them rather than outright killing. Then their buddies come from their cover to save them. Then you shoot him fatally. Doesn't work as well when everyone is behind cover already, but a bit of a distraction is all I need.

This time, Frostbite aims carefully. It is only a moment, long enough for most men to take in a single breath. He then carefully pulls the trigger confident that only a miracle could save his target now.

Shoot Sam Loveless, single shot.

[Dwarmin]

Fiona had a short conference with the group minders-she went into her plan either as she was preparing to move.

"...Ultimately we'll be the trains last line of defense, not the first. No one is attack unless we're clearly under fire and have no choice, unless I give the signal-it will be again, my parasol opening three times in quick succession. Once we approach the train, both groups should line up to either side and hunker down, awaiting further orders. If the train is safe to enter, we are enter in straight and orderly lines-no pushing and shoving. We'll not dishonor ourselves with base panic.

...If I determine we are entering the train,  expect we will have to the beat the bounds somewhat, just to see if there's any villains lurking. If we do find enemies within, perhaps even attacking the engine-encourage folks to make a lot of noise, bang on the sides of the train with their tools, shout and scream, and so on. We must present a united front. The bandits will not continue their attack if they think they cannot succeed. We can shake their confidence and our defenders can take them down, if nothing else.

It's important to remind everyone that our weapons are strength of numbers, and that we shouldn't attack armed bandits directly unless we have no other choice-it's important we stay as a group no matter what. Alone we're easily picked off, together we're strong. Appeal for calm, clarity, and minding the orders I and Mr. Simmons give. And remember to remind everyone-I have absolute confidence that each and every one of you will do your duty. For the folk of the Rime standing next to you." She said, dispatching them to their groups.

There was no time for doubt. Fiona has gone through various strata of fear, and now she was entering that sense of tired finality that one approaches when all other feelings have been expended. She sensed things were now approaching a climax-though was it the merely the end of a chapter, or a paragraph in the story?