Thank you very much for the information, sir, now, is there anything interesting going on around town? Apart from the lasso incident, I mean.
ask, then go to the last thing he talks about.
Joe Baxter asks about ongoing events in the town. "Well, there's a Poker Tournament going on right now in the Saloon, though I doubt you could get in, it's already done part-ways. The Saloon always has some good drinks, and now the Brothel is open if you're into that sort of business. I hear that the Church is having a sale on guns as well."
With the idea of a Church that sold guns, Joe was prompted to head over just out of pure curiosity. At first he thought the man had been facetious, but right in front of the settlement's stone Church was indeed a Gun Stand, with all sorts of firearms on display. The gunrunner at the front looks up, "If you're interested, I'll be right with you!"
Jim walks back outside, not exactly interested in the poker tournament after his loss, and notices how the fight has turned ugly, casually drawing his gun.
"Fight's over boys, although I doubt you need me to tell you that. You two sort out whatever deal you made before this, but try not to maim each other any more?"
Get Outta Dodge, Quick!!!
Blood Opal smirks, checks to see if her shotgun is loaded, and follows Greg Whiskey. If Mammoth also follows, and the chase leads somewhere with few witnesses, or if he says something that can be interpreted as a threat against Greg's life, Blood Opal will pull her gun on the big guy.
Not the ideal outcome, but not a terrible one either. The loser, whom she had taken interest in, was running. If the big guy decides to chase, this might be the perfect opportunity to not only place the drunk in her debt, but also to shoot somebody under the dodgy sort of defense circumstances under which it is hard to prove a crime.
Jim hears Mammoth tell his story, and turns towards Greg, only to find him already running. He smiles.
"You fellas gotta learn that I can never resist a good chase."
The lawman heads off running towards Greg, trying to catch him before he can slip away.
Jim Henson exits the Saloon after his Poker Tournament loss, where he finds Mammoth kicking the life out of the incapacitated Greg Whiskey. Jim draws his gun,
"Fight's over boys, although I doubt you need me to tell you that. You two sort out whatever deal you made before this, but try not to maim each other any more?" Mammoth ends the beating, "Alright, I'll stop fightin' once he starts payin'. Where's my money?" Meanwhile, the seductive, enigmatic Blood Opal slinks into the background of the altercation, watching with interest, double-checking to make sure her Shotgun barrels are full.
Greg Whiskey staggers to his feet, his skin covered in bruised as a result of the fighting. Rather than hand any money over, Greg spins around and legs it. [1-1] What could have started a four-way chase all over town, eventually ending up in the desert, then a standoff between the armed participants with Mammoth stealing Jim's gun out of his hands, shooting Blood Opal in the stomach whereupon she fires back instantly only to inadvertently blast off Jim's face with buckshot, and Mammoth opening fire on Greg with his new revolver, blasting the rocks around him, as the drunk rolls into cover, snatching the Shotgun from the fatally wounded Opal as she bleeds out onto the desert as sand, the two unwounded men exchanging fire until Mammoth hits Greg in the chest, and the bigger man approaches thinking he's got the upper hand and walking forward with the intent to execute Greg with a headshot, only for it to be revealed that Greg has lit one of Opal's dynamite charges which promptly ends up obliterating everyone in a kinetic blast, leaving the confused authorities to investigate the scene of some bizarre conflict the next morning...
Instead of something of that caliber happening, Greg trips and falls on his face, too beaten to run, leaving everyone in the same position as they had started in, Jim with his gun drawn trying to placate the situation, Greg on the ground, Mammoth demanding money, Blood Opal silently watching, and the chance of a brutal four-way-standoff-in-the-desert-concluding-with-an-explosion occurring severely diminished. [7] The drunk lays on the ground in an anti-climatic fashion.
The Shadow is quiet for a few moments before speaking.
"Ya won't laugh if I tell ya'?"
"I promise." The Older Woman looks at the Shadow Earnestly.
"Right. I won't tell nobody. Thanks."
Go to the saloon and see how much it would cost for three bottles of good whiskey. Find a place to sleep for the night, maybe at an inn. I'll buy the whiskey and hopefully some provisions in the morning before I set out.
Michael Shawn promises to keep the secret under wraps and heads into the Saloon, asking the Bartender about the price of good Whiskey. "Well, I can sell you decent stuff for about $6 a bottle, but for the really fancy stuff I'll charge you $10. Think about it, you must want to be impressing someone important or going out of town to some high-class party, ain't ya'?" Shawn spends a good deal of money on the booze before looking for a place to spend the night. The town lacks an Inn, which would really be a worthwhile investment in this type of town, where people are constantly moving through. A Miner does offer him a night in his tent for two dollars.
Investigate. Determine which way the natives may have gone, and go in said direction.
Sister Marjorie Swift investigates the tall grass for any sign of Hontato movement and origin. [5] She finds some marking in the dirt that belong to either a person or large animal, but no permanent evidence yet. [6] After another twenty or so minutes of searching, she finds a dyed, cut feather on the ground, allowing her to deduce that the Hontato cut either East or North from her current position. If she wishes to pursue them, she must make a choice, and both options have an equal chance of getting her closer to the tribe.
Satisfied with the outcome I smile wide.
Then an idea strikes me... Let's get some rounds of whiskey for others that got into the finals as a 'celebration'. They should play worse while I will cheat on my drinks (and not drink them at all).
"Amigos! We should celebrate our luck! The odds are certainly with us tonight! Free whiskey for all those that got into the finals bartender, on my tab!"
Carry out the plan. Play neutrally.
Well, whatever. I rarely won at poker back in the army too. I'll watch this a while longer. Then it's back to trying to find a job.
Have another glass of whiskey. Watch the tournament play out.
Carter tries to console the losers.
"Shame you couldn't make it to the final eight, but you have an even greater chance to make some money now on bets. If you can pick out a winner for the final round, you can more than make back your entrance fee. And if your pick is an underdog, you'll make even more. There's so much money to be made here, you'd have to be crazy not to bet."
Carter tries to take bets on the outcome of final round.
John Ashwood retires to the bar, admitting he's never been a decent poker player. [10] A glass of Whiskey later and he forgets about the whole poker loss. In fact, he's feeling a lot better, like there's fire running through his blood.
[Liquid Courage - Bonus to Strength, Toughness and Charisma.]
Josse enters the final round with 9 competitors, while Carter Duffield reassures those that had lost. "Shame you couldn't make it to the final eight, but you have an even greater chance to make some money now on bets. If you can pick out a winner for the final round, you can more than make back your entrance fee. And if your pick is an underdog, you'll make even more. There's so much money to be made here, you'd have to be crazy not to bet." [5+1] He nets an additional $32 dollars out of the offer, but most of the losers are so distraught and frustrated with losing that they refuse to give him more.
Josse gets the eight other players a glass of Whiskey, paying out of his own pocket. [8] Most of them drink it down quickly, thanking him for the gesture, despite it all being part of Josse's plan.
[2+2+1] Josse plays conservatively at first and lets the drunkards fight each other, ripping away chips from each other. [3-2+1] Josse gets a good hand and goes big, aiming to take out at least one of the other players, only for someone else to actually get a straight three-of-a-kind and suit! Half of his chips are gone already. [9+2+1] So what does Josse do? He immediately takes on a couple other players to take back what's rightfully his until he's sitting on 12. [1-2+1] Then he loses 9 Chips. The fluctuations are pretty crazy at this point in the game, can he stabilize? [5+2+1] Josse takes 7 chips by bluffing his way out of a tight spot. [8-2+1] Josse takes a couple chips over the next few rounds, not wanting to take any risks like he had before. [4-2+1] When it seems like the time is right to attack, Josse's aggression costs him many chips, yet again. [7+2+1] He recovers well though, picking up the pieces of what he had lost. [6+2-1] Josse watches as a few players begin falling off, one by one... [8+2+1] Josse confronts one player on the pot and goes All In, succeeding and striking him out of the table, stealing his chips! [4-2+1] A high roller bites at Josse and goes All In next round as well; Josse isn't knocked out, but he loses quite a bit. [6+2+1] Josse recovers and fires back, regaining chips and weakening his opposition. [2-2+1] Disaster strikes. Josse is pulling 10 Chips, which wouldn't be bad, but the other two remaining players are sporting 42 and 48 chips respectively, so he's not close. [4+2+1] Josse bites at one of them for some spare Chips, but nothing that would give him an upper hand. [10-2+1] Josse goes defensive, but his opponents are reckless, their moves costing them precious Chips. [2-2+1] Josse gets knocked down again as his rich aggressors don't let him up, bashing him down to his feet until he barely has chips left. [3+2+1] Josse stabilizes his hand, but stability won't cut it at his point. [3-2+1] Josse fights valiantly to stay in, but soon he's forced to put all his Chips in and its over. He watches a few more rounds before one of his opponents takes the final hand.
The winner, Gale Hawthorne, raises his fists in victory, cheered on by everyone who hadn't participated in the tournament.
The rankings are:
Gale Hawthorne - 1st Place
Hector Wales - 2nd Place
Jossé Rojillovarón - 3rd Place
Angelo Regales - 4th Place
The players who bet on the finale round also look to be compensated.
"I am sorry. This wound may be beyond my medical knowledge and limited equipment. However, there is a chance that I can help him, but a small slip might mean he could get even worse."
With her permission, try to fix it, using whatever I have at hand.
Doctor Drew Whiteford speaks to the wounded man's wife,
"I am sorry. This wound may be beyond my medical knowledge and limited equipment. However, there is a chance that I can help him, but a small slip might mean he could get even worse." She scowls at the last part and shoves the doctor away from his patient. "Do not hurt him more! Go!" Whiteford is forced out of the dwelling by the woman. Whiteford's Hontato guide gives him a skeptical look.
Keld continues enjoying himself and looks around in the saloon to share the bottle of whiskey he recently received with anyone willing to tell him about the important people and groups in and around town, especially in the Homestead lands. Remembering the man who was shot earlier and the general chaos, he also looks around to see if New Jamestown has a coffinmaker or a cemetary, because with the rate of corpse production since he got here it seems to need them.
Keld Cenek heads over to the watering hole to share his Bottle of Whiskey. One of the men dillusioned with his Poker loss, takes up Keld's offer. Over the drinks, he is told of Mayor Wilford Huxley, he was elected to be the first mayor of New Jamestown, Sheriff Biggs who proceeds over the town, and Father Gregory who runs the local Church. The town is full of all sorts of people, mainly laborers, and most of them are not here to stay. The Homesteads are new territory, with some farms set up and even a mining business titled WesternLink Inc. Still, there are many settled Hontato in the region, hostile to newcomers, and a familial criminal gang named the Hawkson Boys who have been terrorizing the region for decades even before the settlement of New Jamestown. According to the speaker, they are as ruthless as they are reportedly inbred.
Keld later goes around town, wondering where all these bodies in New Jamestown go, as they aren't piling up in the street. As it turns out, the Church not only has a Gun Stand, but a Cemetery located a ways behind the structure, a host of tombstones and monuments, some composed of stone, but others just plain wood or a crucifix.
As Keld scans the graveyard, he senses someone coming from behind. He turns around to see Tuypo coming, pale-faced and weary, clutching the breast-pocket of his suit like he's going to pull something out. Not sure of what's happening, the lawman puts a hand on his gun. Tuypo stops a few feet from Keld, wheezing, and attempts to say something only for his speech to be covered up with the sound of gushing blood that streams from his mouth, down his chin. He stumbles backwards and falls on his anterior, his hand limply falling from his chest, his eyes fluttering closed. Keld rushes over to see what he was covering up; two deep puncture wounds into the Brothel Owner's left breast that look very deliberately placed. The wounds do not look like they came from a firearm, but rather a knife, and no normal knife at that. They reach far in, piercing the muscle and lung. It would have to be something along the lines of a machete or sword.
Keld looks up. The town is quiet and unmoving, for now.
Tuypo has been run through twice by a mysterious assassin. -----
Jimmy "Animalcrushrailroad" Johnson waltzes into town, swinging his Sledgehammer casually on the everlasting quest of strongness and crushing. There is little movement in the sleepy night, until Jimmy comes across a Seugden Soldier performing an examination on a flamboyantly dressed fellow, an unusual sight even by the standards of the Wild West. The examinee is dead, so he certainly isn't in need of any more crushing.
The Shadow. (kj1225)
Gender: Unknown
Age: Estimated to be about twenty. Could also be a large teenager.
Perk(s): Elusive Enigma
Brief Bio: It's a bounty hunter who has been said to never miss their man.
Inventory: Trench coat, hat, bandana, six shooter pistol with a box of ammo, small teddy bear. Wolf Knife.
Money: $25.00
Status: Normal.
Greg Whiskey (Salsacookies)
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Perk(s):Drunken Warrior - Alcohol fuels the fire in your blood, +2 to Close-Quarters Combat when Drunk.
Unarmed Specialist - Practice for years has honed your skills with a particular weapon, +1 to Unarmed
Detriment: Drunkard - You can't put down the bottle, if you don't consume Alcohol at least every 5 Turns, you will receive penalties to all rolls.
Inventory:
Money:$0.00
Status: Pain
Addiction: 1 Turns
'Blood Opal' (Weirdsound)
Gender: Female
Age: 29
Perks: Shotgun Specialist, Femme Fatale
Detriment: Elephant Step
Brief Bio: A brash, brazen, ballsy, and bloodthirsty Quian robber and murderess who escaped justice in her homeland. She has come to new Jamestown in search of trouble.
Inventory: Shotgun, Ammo, Travel Outfit, Ornate Mask, Traditional Quian Formal Robes, Three sticks of dynamite
Money: $41.50
Status: Mildly Drunk
Drew Whiteford (Alev)
Gender:Male
Age:32
Perks:Healing Touch
Detriments:N/A
Bio:Drew came out West to seek his fortune as a trained doctor, few and far between in these lands. He is hoping to get a cart or something so he can set up a stand.
Inventory: A satchel full of various medical supplies, like bandages, medicine, etc.; a flip-knife; a somewhat formal trenchcoat; button up shirt; slacks; leather boots. Length of Bandage Tape; 10 Dried Apples.
Money: $0.00
Status: Light Pain
'Michael Shawns' (Beirus)
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Perk(s): Handgun Specialist, Casanova
Detriment: Elephant Step
Brief Bio: 'Michael' came here to make his living as a gunslinger. Whether you needed someone to protect your cattle on a long drive or you needed someone shot with no questions asked, he was the man to see. He often challenges his targets to duels first, so that the Law won't get involved as often. Rumor has it he may or may not have also been fleeing a girlfriend who caught him cheating. He has no comment on the subject. Some also say that 'Michael Shawns' is a fake name he took when he moved here. Those people end up buried in the desert with a bullet in their head.
Inventory:
Money: $13.50
Status: Normal
Father Gregor/ Big Poppa (Cheesecake)
Gender: Male
Age: 51
Perk(s): Dealmaker, Saving Grace
Detriment: Opiate Addiction
Brief Bio: Father Gregor, or as the scum of the streets know him, Big Poppa, is both a pastor and an arms dealer. He runs the church as a cover for his true business.
Inventory: 2 Revolvers, 2 Pistols, 1 Repeater, 3 Bags of "Desert Paradise"
Money: $98.90
Status: Normal
Addiction: 5 Turns
Name: Sister Marjorie Swift (Harry Baldman)
Gender: Female
Age: 32
Perks: Femme Fatale, Hontato Speaker
Detriment: Running Turtle (left leg missing beneath the knee, has a wooden leg in its place)
Brief Bio: Sister Marjorie Swift is a traveling nun of sorts, fresh off from two years of missionary work among the Hontato tribes in this general area, in fact, though maybe not the ones around New Jamestown, exactly. She's grown to really like the desert, and hopes to establish a monastery around here.
Inventory: Horse
Money: $27.00
Status: Normal
Keld Cenek (Beneviento)
Gender:Male
Age:23
Perks: Rifle Specialist, Rabbit's Feet,
Detriment:Weakling
Bio: Keld was a light infantryman in the army of Seugden, a nation across the sea. However, a duel with another another man over some insult left the other man dead and Keld running for his life, as the other man's friends declaimed him as a murderer. Thankfully, he's always been able to run rather fast. He's come to New Jamestown looking for work, and to find men for a group of vigilantes he seeks to build.
Equipment: tattered Seugden uniform and greatcoat, rifle and ammo.
Money: $27.00
Status: Normal
Jonah Clay (Yoink)
Gender: Male
Age: 26
Brief Bio: Until recently a skilled knife-thrower at a traveling carnival, Jonah lost his job of several years when a tragic "slip of the hand" killed his female assistant, Valerie, mid-show.
Now, consider the fact that he and Valerie were lovers, and had been quarreling loudly before the show, and you'll understand why few, if any of his fellow carnies believed it was an accident.
Jonah decided it was time to seek greener pastures and fled, taking only what cash he could scrape together, his beloved knives, a bottle of grain whiskey and some travel biscuits.
He hitched a ride on a wagon that night and has been drifting ever since, racking up an array of minor charges ranging from vagrancy and disturbing the peace to petty theft and indecent exposure.
Description: Around average height, with scruffy, lank blond hair, ruddy, sunburnt complexion and a scowl like a cat's arsehole. Wears battered Levis, simple shoes and the threadbare, stained remnants of what was once a finely-made shirt of pink cotton.
Perks: Knife specialist, Steel skin
Detriments: Ugly
Inventory: Brace of bowie knives in a bandolier under his shirt, traveling clothes, faded photograph of his dead girlfriend and his "lucky" knife on his hip- the one that killed her.
Money: $14.25
Status: Fine
John Ashwood (Hawk132)
Gender: Male
Age: 32
Perk(s): Rifle Specialist, Eagle Eyes
Detriment: Marked by Hontato
Brief Bio: Was a sharpshooter in the Army. Killed a lot of natives during that time. Discharged from the Army for reasons. Became a bounty hunter.
Inventory: Hunting Rifle, Revolver, Knife, Clothes.
Money: $17.50
Status: Liquid Courage [+1 to Strength, Toughness and Charisma]
Jossé Rojillovarón (akkudakku)
Gender: Male
Age: 26
Perk(s): Dealmaker, Queen of Diamonds
Detriment: Glass Man
Brief Bio: Jossé Rojillovarón - a dashing rogue and opium salesman. He has his own secret blend - the Chilli P.
Inventory: Poppy seeds (to start a small plantation, hopefully in a secluded area), Cudraldian clothes (sombrero and all that), hidden knife (easy to take out from a sleeve or something like that), carriage lab, Revolver, Repeater
Money: $12.50
Status: Normal
Jim Henson [Long Arm] (Playergamer)
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Perk: Handgun Specialist, Saving Grace
Detriment: Marked by Hontato
Brief Bio: Jim is the son of a sheriff, and when he was just 16, he became a sheriff's deputy. A year later, his father was shot in a firefight, and Jim moved on from his old town, taking his father's hat with him, arriving in New Jamestown. He talked to the nearby sheriff, and managed to get himself a position as deputy. In his two years as deputy, he has gained the trust of the locals, at least the lawful ones, and is likely next in line for sheriff.
Items: Clothes, Sheriff's hat, Six-shooter, Deputy badge.
Money: $7.75
Status: Normal
Carter Duffield (Kadzar)
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Perk(s): Dealmaker, Queen of Diamonds
Detriment: Weakling
Brief Bio: Carter loves money, and he's heard there's a lot of it to be made in the West. He's come to New Jamestown and, through money, deals, and other means, he hopes to eventually own the whole town.
Inventory: Bowler Cap, Fancy Vest, Tie, Shirt, Pants, Pair of Double-Barreled Derringer Pistols in vest pockets, Record Book & Pencil, Poker Chips
Money: $727.00
Joe Baxter (Execute/Dumbo.exe)
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Perk(s): Saving Grace, Queen of diamonds
Detriment: Strong scent
Brief Bio: growing up as a child in a family of unremarkable farmers and cattle ranchers gave Joe a unique unquenchable thirst to be important, in some way, in any way would be fine to him because to him, anything would be better than obscurity and everybody who knew him would say it from the fire in his eyes when he really got going, and the gods seemed to like him too as every time he was cornered, every time he got blindsided by someone or something, he would always get out of it with another scratch to his collection, he really felt himself lucky and dangerous.
Of course, being around so many grass eaters do give some creatures funny ideas...
Items: Lasso, Worn Six shooter with a round of ammo, and wide brim Hat.
Money: $15.00
Status: Normal
Jimmy "Animalcrushrailroad" Johnson (Shadestyle)
Gender: Male
Age: 26
Perks: Ox build, steel skin
Detriment: Strong scent, (big appetite too between you an' me)
Brief Bio: Awesome from birth, Jimmy "Animalcrushrailroad" has been as tough as it gets, working on the railroads all his life, he comes to the frontier town in search of uses for his incredible strength, his softspoken nature easily shattered by bad people and animals, which don't like him either.
Inventory: Large steel sledgehammer, Mustache, Pocket pistol.
Money: $0.00
Status: Normal
Name: Alrah Vanness
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Perks: Eagle Eyed; Demolition Expert
Detriment: Strong Scent
Brief Bio: In his young years, Alrah experienced many discomforts due to his destitute family. Now, he is fueled by the need to find gold, the thing that will make him rich.
Equipment: Tattered clothes, a shovel, and one last stick of dynamite, but no matches to light it.
Money: $0.00
First Action: Look around the outskirts of town for anything shiny.
In case anyone was not yet aware, player Tuypo was banned from the Forums for indecent behavior. Instead of saying his character inexplicably disappeared, I thought it would be much cooler to utilize this unfortunate event as a way to start a Murder-Mystery Arc. Seeing as word spreads fast in New Jamestown, I imagine that several Player-Characters could end up wrapped in the midst of the lethal charades...
Author
Topic: \Legends/ - Simple Freeform Wild West RPG - Back to the Action (Read 52306 times)