[DL] A new version of the carrot

["R.M. Dukes" <deadlands@freewwweb.com>]

    Hey all!  I don't know about the rest of you Marshal's out there,
but I had somewhat of a problem with my posse: they didn't give a damn.
As far as all the unholy critters out there and why things seem to be so
"weird"... they don't care.  It sometimes seems like it takes some real
arm twisting (read:$), to get them to risk their hides for some
unsuspecting townsfolk or what-not.  I guess I was looking for heroes
and I got outlaws instead.  My posse consists of a Huckster, a gambler,
a Mad Scientist, and a tinhorn doctor.  The Huckster and gambler are
only really concerned about making money through gambling.  They're the
tough ones to lure in.  The Mad Scientist was a lawman at one time, so
he's more inclined to help people.  Plus, he lost a wife to the
machinations of a rival scientist and recently lost a fiancee to the
Night Train adventure so he has an interest in the evil that lurks in
the shadows of the frontier.  The tinhorn doctor just joined the group,
so he basically follows the others.
    I came up with a new "carrot" to lure at least the gambler into
whatever I want.  It's sort of a "Fugitive" idea, but warped.  Wendell
"Muddy Waters" Pendleton (the gambler) is superstitious.  One night in
Dodge City, he was playing poker with an attractive female.  Now he was
a little drunk.  He was somewhat sweet on this woman and wanted to
appear as the fearless type.  She asked if he was up to playing for the
ultimate stakes.  Of course, he said yes.  They would play for his
soul.  He laughed at this.  His soul?  If he lost, he'd sign a piece of
paper giving her his soul.  If he won... well, she hinted that she had a
room upstairs.
    He played.  He lost.  He signed his soul away.  She was on a train
the next morning and gone.  Now as I said, Muddy is superstitious.  The
idea that he doesn't have a soul is starting to eat away at him.  So
he's looking for her.  I want him to go somewhere, all I have to do is
have her be sighted in the area.
    Does she really have his soul?  No.  The side of Good needs
warriors.  Sometimes the powers that be just need to nudge their
"warriors" along. :-)
    The Huckster has realized that wherever some strange creature
exists, things like forgotten hexes might exist as well.  So he's become
a little more willing to search out the unknown.  Of course ever since
he shot those Pinkertons, he's had to keep a low profile.
    Anyone else have any interesting "carrots" to lure posse's with?


Mike Dukes