The shadow explores. After all, it's the best way to get a quirky sidekick. And find a decent Inn.
The Shadow decides to spend some time in Ciero and check out the surroundings. There's a number of houses and stores in the town, with a few Bars in place of Saloons, a number of Restaurants, a Bakery, 2 Inns, a Tailor, a General Store, a Leather Goods Store, Doctor's Office, Stables and a Mystic, in addition to the partially completed Railway Station. Government buildings include a City Hall, a Police Station, a Post Office, and a Tax Collector's Office. One of the Inns is a smaller, rustic family-run affair, while the larger one appears to be more modern.
[7] He witnesses something of a spectacle in the middle of town. A crowd has gathered around a Quian man, dressed in traditional clothing. A Vespuccian takes a Bowie Knife and throws it right at him. What looks like attempted murder turns into a display of immense skill as the Asian catches the blade inches away from his face. The audience applauds, throwing coins into a box at the knife-catcher's feet.
Well, now what? I'm a little newer to this lawman job than you are Jim, so what do you think we ought to do next? I think I'll look around town for a time and see if I can spot any odd-looking fellows unless you want my help with anything.
Keld walks around the streets of town looking for any people that either stand out to him or that he doesn't recognize from yesterday. He also asks townspeople if anyone in black clothes entered town that they saw. He then returns to the Brothel to look through Tuypo's room and papers if he can.
Jim looks at Keld.
"Canvass the town for suspects, find someone who can identify the murder weapon, and...
Jim looks at the crowd forming around the body.
"...don't let a lynch mob form. It's a simple job, but it's tough as hell."
Jim walks up to the crowd, and starts to speak.
"Listen to Biggs. We've done this before, we'll find the killer and hang him high. I know you are all intelligent, but I also know that you are eager to find the killer, and that may lead to you lynching an innocent man."
Keld looks around town for any mysterious people, but all he can find are the regular assortment of townfolk, laborers and typical people using New Jamestown as a stop before heading out towards the Homesteads. He uses the opportunity to question the townspeople about black-clad robed figures, but they come up with nothing. He heads into the Brothel, fishing around in Tuypo's room. He finds a few papers with numbers as well as some rather explicit drawings, but no substantial evidence.
As Keld heads back outside empty handed, Jim gives him a few assignments to take care of regarding the murder. Biggs stands up, "I'll have to stay here and make sure this town doesn't get out of hand. Jim, could you take a horse and run a perimeter 'round town? Check the desert and the outskirts, maybe even the mountain area if you can, see if you find anything, or anyone, out of place or interesting."
"Stop right there. Are we going to have a problem here? Because being followed by mysterious folks doesn't set well with me if they ain't even bothered to introduce themselves. You see, I got this six shooter right here loaded. That's one bullet fer each of ya, and I won't hesitate to defend myself." Michael remarks as he draws his revolver and pulls the hammer back. Should they continue charging or acting threateningly, he'll shoot the ones with guns first, then the others. One bullet for each, through the heart.
As Micheal Shawns speaks and threatens his dark, mysterious pursuers, they all stop in place. After he finishes, each of the figures responds not in English, but in low, tonal groans, forming some sort of haunting song or chant; it's so foreign and bizarre that Micheal has no idea what to make of it. [5] It starts getting to Micheal, the sound of them seemingly piercing his skull, surrounding and encasing him. By the time he snaps back to reality, they are much closer now, and he draws his gun. [9+1 vs. 8] He shoots one of them with a gun right in the shoulder, the blast of the shot sending him flying back down the mountainous slope. The others do not seem deterred at all. [7+1 vs. 9] Micheal shoots at the other one with a gun, but his target manages to slip behind a rock which absorbs the bullet, and fires back with his own Revolver. [6 vs. 8] The shot hits a rock wall next to Micheal. [5+1 vs. 4] Micheal fires back and hits him right in the foot which was sticking out from cover. He falls to the ground. Both the gunslingers are wounded and temporarily stunned, but he's got three bullets and there's four more of them, only about 10 feet away.
Steal a drink from the saloon, need a drink
With the tremors happening, Greg Whiskey hurries over to the Saloon, sneaking in through the back. [10] He comes out a few minutes later cradling four precious Bottles of Whiskey. He pops open one of them, anxiously gulping it down. He gasps as the alcohol runs through his system. The tremors stop, and even better, he now has plenty to drink. He hopes that the Bartender doesn't notice a few missing items...
Jump on it and grab it!
"It's mine! MINE!"
If I spot anyone, grab the nugget and run like hell!
Alrah Vanness rubs his eyes to make sure it isn't a mirage before running forward and grabbing the Gold Nugget. He holds it up, watching its reflection in the rising sun. He looks around to make sure he is alone, which he is, before doing a dance of glee. "I DID IT! I FINALLY DID IT! IT'S ALL MINE, HALLELUJAH!" In a few mere minutes, Alrah went from poverty to holding a handful of wealth. Now that he has it, he has a number of decisions to make about what to do next.
Try to gauge the mood of the tribe.
Watch the village for any indications of affiliation, try to place them in the framework of the surrounding Hontato tribes. Have I heard of these people before?
Sister Marjorie Swift hides in the bushes, observing the Hontato and trying to gauge their mood at the moment. At the moment, a lot of the Hontato walking by have sad, contemplating faces, as if something unfortunate had just swept over the tribe. Swift has never seen Hontato before, but she has read some text about them; independent, proud, thoughtful people, at least according to what was written.
One Hontato Warrior looks over to the bushes where Swift lay in hiding. [9] He spots her quickly and walks over, whispering, "Lady, why are you here? It is a bad time for white people to be here."
"In which direction are they most likely to be?"
After getting an answer to my question, set out in that direction. Keep an eye out for Hawksons.
John Ashwood asks Sheriff Biggs about the location of the Homesteads. "Just keep heading on West, and look around the roads for anyone suspicious, or any buildings or structures that don't look legitimate. Good luck."
John goes towards the Homesteads, that pleasant buzz of Alcohol in his system dissipating as New Jamestown disappears behind him, replaced by rolling grasslands.
After a bit of snooping around, John hears chatter up ahead. He dives into the grass for cover and sneaks forward, to discover three men standing above one man on the ground who has been tied up, his clothes a bright white robe that has been dirtied by the ground. John realizes that the restrained man on the ground is Father Gregory! The three men standing above him are all armed, one with a Repeater, the other two with Revolvers. They are all currently facing away from Ashwood.
"Well, he's the priest, they'll want him back real good. How much we should ask 'em?"
"250! No, 500!"
"1,000! 1,000 and five crates of booze."
"That, and the Mayor's big titty daughter."
The men cackle after the obscene comment.
After he finishes talking with Josse, Carter will try to track Gale and Hector and tell them, "Sorry, gentlemen, I can't just leave here on a whim. I came here for business, so unless you can guarantee me good pay (directly correlated with your profits, of course) or you can wait up for me a little while either here or there, I'm afraid I can't go with you. But, if you ever feel in need of my services do not hesitate to send word."
Carter Duffield speaks to Gale and Hector about his situation. Gale begins to speak up, but is quickly interrupted by Hector, "We got us a good place in mind already, so we have to head out before it's bought up! You stay here then, if we feel the need to bring you up, we'll send you a letter from Saleza. Come on Gale, let's get outta' here!" And with that, the two men get on their horses and ride off, away from New Jamestown to their future business.
Jimmy Nods, gathering the necessary materials and begins to repair the roof with a steady hand, thinking about the food he would soon be eating.
Jimmy Johnson begins working for Lady Victoria, gathering the building materials that she provides and takes a Ladder up to the roof. As he gets to work pulling out the ruined tiles and replacing them with new ones, he thinks of what sort of meal she could be getting for him. [5+1] He works steadily, replacing each of the tiles with care. It's not fast work, but it is methodical. Lady Victoria comes out when Jimmy is about half-way through, "Can I get you something to drink, dearest?"
Blood Opal approaches the Cudralian men, and checks to see if they speak any common language with herself. If they do, she proceeds to flirtatiously grill them for personal information, so that she may lead a mob to their doorstep later in the day.
She keeps on guard, asks about their feelings on the brothel duel, and tries to get a good look at their knives as well; They could actually be the killers, and if Blood Opal could be lead to believe this, she might have a role for them that is better than 'lynchee'.
Blood Opal goes to the Cudralian men to hold a conversation. She learns that they posses the ability to speak English to an extent, so she uses Femme Fatale Skills to see if she can get information out of them. [8+2] According to the men, they arrived late yesterday passing through to look for work up North. They don't raise any points about the recent stabbing, and actually seem ignorant of the duel between the lawman and the owner of the Brothel. The Machetes are long and sharp, capable of both slashing and stabbing by the looks of them. In her interrogation, one of them asks, "Woman, what are you here for?"
I start up a construction of a inn with a small casino, drinking lounge and entertainer stage on the ground floor paying for it as much as I can. To solicit help from the local populace I declare that 20% of the profits will go to charity through local church or for investment through local government.
"Amigos, in this day is the first day that will change this small settlement into a prospering town! I will donate money for the construction of an Inn and in exchange for your help in building it I will give a fifth part of the profits back to the local community as charity and further investment in the wellbeing of its citizens!"
Josse begins the construction of his Inn, complete with a Small Casino, Drinking Lounge, and Entertainer Stage, and even promises a fifth of the profits to New Jamestown public funding. The people he tells, including a couple public workers, all approve. While the plan is all laid out, Josse will need at least a couple hundred to start the initial construction, and the full project will likely cost around $1,200, if not more. This far exceeds his current monetary sum of $12.50. Still, with Tuypo dead, the Brothel and the land its own will have to go to someone soon. Plus, Father Gregory has good money on him, but he hasn't come back from their plot of land yet. Where could he be?
The sun illuminates the entire land. It is Day.
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: 4 Bottles of Whiskey
Money:$0.00
Status: Nose Broken
Addiction: 5 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: Normal
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. Guyomba Root.
Money: $0.00
Status: Normal
'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: $11.50
Status: Normal
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, Knife, Rope.
Money: $39.00
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: Normal
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: $86.63
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: $188.75
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.
Inventory: Tattered clothes, a shovel, and one last stick of dynamite, but no matches to light it. Golden Nugget.
Money: $0.00
Status: Normal
I wish there wasn't a lot of general nonsense going on with my life right now, but it's a consistent variable. I apologize for getting this turn out so late, hopefully it will assume its more regular updating pattern soon.
Author
Topic: \Legends/ - Simple Freeform Wild West RPG - Back to the Action (Read 53456 times)