Hey that reminds me I just ran my posse through that one. Let me give you the run down, see if it helps you out.
BTW: I changed a few things due to circumstances, The first thing I changed is that "treasure map" salesman. I made him a huckster. The second thing I changed is that in the train crash, instead of surviving, Harold died, but he returned Harrowed with dominion, just to test the Ranger (he failed the test...) I also had the train carying a car load of cattle (Jeremiah wanted to bring his horse along, so why waste a perfectly good train car for only one horse? plus, the look on their faces when they walked past it and failed their guts check was priceless ;).
Currently, my posse consists of two characters due to school and finals and work (real life...ew). I have a Huckster (Jeremiah Swift) who just can't wait for the backlash (he got it last night, but that's another story), and I have a Texas Ranger (David Lake) who can't seem to pull anything together for the life of him.
The story went along fine until the train left the station.
David Lake has a penchant for solitude, so he just kept to himself and really didn't take any chance to meet and great with anyone else on the train. Jeremiah Swift seems to want trouble a bit too much some times. I suckered him into taking the kids, whose parents had, somewhat professionally, disappeared.
I gave them ample time to check out the train, but it wasn't until almost the last second that the Jeremiah went to look around the bagage car (he became quite well acquainted with Harold during his drinking beforehand, however).
While he was in the baggage car, he heard something but could never figure out on his own what it was, so I had him roll to see if he noticed where it was coming from, and he went bust. He left hastily, convinced someone was on to him and would get mad. I had the train crash almost as soon as he got back to the car with the other passengers (he took his time, had a smoke and calmed his nerves before joinging them).
Here is where things got a bit sticky. They weren't really willing to help out anyone on the train either, they made sure nobody died too much, and Harold joined them. Jeremiah went outside the train to see what has happened, he got a quick glance to the front to see that the trestle had been destroyed and the train lay wrecked in the canyon. That's when two shots rang out and hit in the train. he went inside quickly and informed Harold and David that the train was wrecked and there had been shots fired at him when he was outside.
They didn't want to do anything at first, but Harold convinced them to go to the back of the train and peek out the door to see what they could find out. They had a plan worked out where David would open the door and let a few shots go through before Jeremiah would peek his head out. Jeremiah has the hindrances Big Britches and Self Righteous btw, since it's important to know that now.
David opens the door, Jeremiah pulls out his gun, steps into the door frame and bolts toward some of the cover (where one of the bandits is) without saying a thing to David, or looking to see what he was getting himself into.
He made some amazing rolls to make it to the brush he was headed toward, and David took the opportunity to take a few shots at the other bandits, unfortunately, he couldn't hit the broad side of the barn, and he was too stingy to use his chips, so he just provided cover to distract the bandits.
Jeremiah hit the shrubbery and had to make a nimbleness roll to see if he could avoid slamming into the bandit, he failed, but the bandit went bust on his roll, so the two of them rolled down the hill until a tree helped them stop. The bandit didn't make the roll (again, even after chewin' up 2 of the 3 chips), so bandit #1 lay there with his head bashed against the tree, unconscious.
In the meantime, David learned to shoot and took out a bandit who was hiding behind a boulder the only way he could - with a called shot to the head (the brim of the guiy's hat gave his location away). This took bandit #2 out of the running.
A fwe more shots from the remaining bandits (who had begun running to their horses, since they didn't want to have a psycho running after them as well). The leader was already on his horse,and he was preparing to send some dynamite to the train when Jeremiah picked up bandit #1's shotgun and blasted away. When the smoke fell, so did the bandit leader's horse (it would help if you had the proficiency for shooting a shotgun before you actually go about doing it in combat). David followed this with a blast from his rifle that sent bandit #3 down (David Lake likes head shots and aces on damage rolls). Jeremiah finished the leader with his pistol as the leader struggled to get up from a dead horse that wasn't giving him anything to work with. A fifth bandit got away, but he was taken by the husker that night (he got lost and ended up right outside of their camp).
Jeremiah returned to the train and David went about his business of making sure none of the bandits would be coming back for more, as well as taking two sticks of dynamite off the body of the leader.
Inside the train, they considered whatto do next (go to the other cars was the winner).
They passed the dead bodies At the baggage car, nobody could roll again, so they never found out that there was something in the crate that escaped. The tracks were written of as wolf tracks, and Jeremiah found the gatling pistol, and ammo for it.
They returned to the cars,and the remaining passengers, and decided to camp next to the train in case the rest of the train went down during the night. Denise went to the front ofthe train to find coal, and David followed. When she told him what she was thinking "Coal burns hotter and longer than wood...", he was more than willing to climb down the train and get her some. She didn't have the nerve to tell him that after the sudden jar that stopped the train, coalwas scattered everywhere around the ground (well, not till he was already making his way back up).
The night passed uneventfully, and, the next morning, there were tracks everywhere. A large pack of wolves was the assumption (increase fear level). Not knowing who he was, our Agent took David aside and convincedhimto go see where the "wolves" were..and take care of them.
After mentioning this to Jeremiah, David had to work to keep up ("I can take any ol' pack of wolves, just you watch...")
They climbed to the clearing where the dead came back up,lolling heads and all. Going bust on a guts check is a bad thing if you're 2 feet away from a husker wearing a human as clothes, so Jeremiah lost his nerve and stood there catching flies (Drawing them too, if I remember correctly). Luckily, David Lake got first go (Ace of Spades) and his shots distracted the creature enough to get his attention averted.
They each had their share of spit in the face, Jeremiah first, so when it came time for David's turn, well, he put his hands up to block most of it (smart man, sometimes).
A few lucky rolls leaves the blinded Jeremiah smelling the corpse just inches in front of his face. David, haveing much better luck, finished off 2 of the others (I chip one, just to make it seem worse for him), and takes a lucky shot at the one in front of his "partner". The creature leaps from the body and onto Jeremiah, who fires blindly at the weight that has just been added to his chest. They fall to the ground, David takees care of the other husker and. jeremiah's eyesight returns, just in time for the husker on top of him to be blown to pieces by David's shotgun (there's those aces again).
They recover and head to the cave, it's dark, so they light a lamp and continue in. David remembers as soon as he sees a large flying thing coming at him that he has 2 sticks of dynamite - probably just enough to have destroyed this cave while they were still safely out of harm's way...
Jeremiah drops the lantern and holds his gun to the creature. The first strike misses so the husker goes back to get a second shot. David and the husker both get the ace of spades for the next combat round, so the shot goes off (called, to the head) just as the spitting & biting starts to get on Jeremiah's nerves (his face too). The damage does nearly triple digits on David's magic ace dice and the marshall, without any chips left, and not wanting to make this a size 18 husker, has to watch it die with one lucky blast.
They return victorious and tell of the wolves Somewhere along the line, the other cars fell down the hill to join the first group.
And thus begins the trek back to civilization. Harold knows that the train has to stop somewhere to take on water, so they head back a days' walk to wait for the next train.
Jeremiah leads the way, and David takes up the back. They both notice that Laura is gone, and, without wanting to caus alarm, say nothing. David goes back up the hill, and Jeremiah uses his Private Eye hex to see what he can see.
David meets his enemy on the hill, she has discovered his identity, and neither of them want to make the first move. Laura eventually draws first, but David, not wanting to kill her, takes a called shot at her gun, and hits it out of her hand. She looks at him, waiting for the shot that will be her end, but, seeing it never come, continues on her way. David rejoins the group and they keep walking.
The next day, they go on a search for missing passengers, only to be led on a wild goose chase (this is where they were supposed to find out the truth about Harold and the other huckster, but they can't roll anymore).
On the walk though, with David back doing something, Jeremiah sees his horse, and, from a distance of 50 yards, can see that it "just isn't right" - he had been mawled by the husker and was just running around - and Jeremiah shoots it (called shot to the head) so the other don't have to see it.
They make it back to Denver. After convincing the now-known huckster Jeremiah Swift to join the Rangers (promising to keep his true identity secret), David has to face up with Laura for the last time (he won).
They head on to their next assignment - finding out what's happening with a mad scientist and a series of stage coach robberies in a small Texas town. because of the "fine" job he did, David is assigned company for this trip in the form of Earl, who, for lack of a better description at the last second, looks a lot like Clint Eastwood (but then again, doesn't every NPC, to some extent?)
We continued again last night for a few hours, and Jeremiah got that backlash he was so desperately hoping for.
They were traveling by horse, and, when stopped to water them at a nearby creek, saw a man who had been severly wounded mumbling something in Spanish (good thing David Lake took Spanish...) about a "big red" thing, the dying man can't seem to get a word out clearly, and, they head off to see what did it.
Jeremiah, remembering how his last horse ended up, decides to turn back to make sure that these ones stay healthy.
David can see Earl a little further up from where he is, cutting something down from a tree. He can also see a huge bear waiting to swat Earl away from his dinner. his warning is too late, and Earl can fly. For about 2 seconds.
David pulls out his handy rifle fires away from 50 yards, but his shot just doesn't really do much. The screams begin for Jeremiah to come hel, but he's dead set on gettin his horse secured.
After a few rounds, and with Earl none the better for wear, Jeremiah gives in and casts his Private Eye hex to see what his horse can see at that time.
He draws a black joker, and, luckily for him (kinda) the only backlash is that the hex backfires, causing him to see through the giant bear's eyes. Jeremiah can see that the bear is rabid and quite insane. He can also see that the bear is trying to fit David Lake's whole head into his mouth. he gives up on his horse and heads back to the fight, just in time to see Earl clingin to the back of the blood-coated, crazed bear. He joins the foray and they end up scaring the bear off.
But that's not enough for Jeremiah, he wants more. So he chases the bear through the ever-darkening woods, Soul Blasting it as they run. Luck would have it that he draws another black joker. The demon pulls at his mind as he casts the hex, and I roll double 20's....schizophrenia...so now Jeremiah can hear little voices in his head.
The soul blast succeeds, however, and Jeremiah runs up to the bear and cuts its head off - with it's own clawed paw.
He carries the blood-soaked head back to the creek with him as a trophy.
When he meets up with David, who is helping Earl, he proudly displasys the head and proclaims "See, I ALWAYS have to clean up after you."
To which David replies "What about the husker? Who did that?"
"I let you." Jeremiah goes for closure, then, looking at the bear's head, "I think I'll call you David." he chuckles and gets himself a white chip.
and now they will have to decide what to do with a lunatic huckster - with a bloody, severed bears head, and a wounded ranger....fun fun fun
---dan, the kinder, more benevolent marshal