Last nights’ gaming session was such a “blast” I wanted to share it with the list. Dynamite figures in prominently, too.
First, let me introduce the posse. Newt Grundy, Cow [slow] poke Extraordinaire with Ol` Blue his trusty Winchester. Evalina Morris, a central Tennessee Farm girl who lost to family to an abomination several years ago, besides being a crack shot, she’s got some doctoring skills. Ace Brandon the tinhorn gambler/Huckster from Pennsylvania. Joe Montana, a drifter Bounty Hunter (the player didn’t even know there was a real Joe Montana). Lastly, Tink McClintock the (as yet unknown to the posse Harrowed) Mad Scientist.
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
Newt, Joe and Ace had come to St Louis on the Marie Belle. They did such a good job with the Skinners adventure that the riverboat actually made it with all but one of the passengers alive. While they are exploring the remains of the city they run into Tink, who has a habit of disappearing and reappearing (the player can’t always make the game so being a Harrowed makes it easy for me). Evalina, who was last seen in Dodge City, gets a message from the Explorers Society telling her to go to the Freemantle Hotel in St Louis. This letter was originally addressed to her father. Once there, she finds a package, again with an address label to her father, which is crossed out and her name written in. There is a small typed stationary note that says, “Keep this a secret.” She goes up to her room and opens the package, which is a copy of the 1876 edition of the Bestiary of North America (Evalina drew a joker during character creation and has an unknown inheritance, her father was a lifetime member of the Explorers Society). She inspects the return address and postmarks, and finds out it came from Denver. After spending hours pouring over this tome, she comes down for dinner to find Newt, Tink, Ace, and Joe are also staying in the Hotel (How Convenient!).
While the boys were out looking for a gunsmith and getting some “adjustments” made to their weapons, Joe had seen a poster advertising a reward for finding out what was causing people to disappear at the Lemp Brewery, Newt, perusing the local paper also sees an advertisement for the same thing.
Going down to the caves and exploring the posse finds some rock formations that are not natural stone. While they are inspecting these four Cave Crawlers set them upon. A nice little battle ensues where Tink should have been killed. At this point Evalina is trying to Doctor him, Newt is guarding, and Ace and Joe are a little unsettled. The stink of the grave is in the air and it dawns on the posse what has happened to Tink in the past. No time to worry about that at the moment though. They stitch up Tink, and Evalina sees to everyone else’s wounds. Some more investigation leads the posse to the nest, where there are eight more Cave Crawlers. Joe tries to sneak into the cave with six sticks of Dynamite to try to take care of the problem. One notices him shortly after he’s in. He throws the dynamite and runs back down the passage towards where the posse has set up firing positions. His throw misses the mark but is close. Being stupid creatures the Cave Crawlers investigate what just came into their nest. Eleven seconds later, BOOM! Two Crawlers are chasing Joe down the corridor, and six creatures are in the cave. Three are blown to hell, and 3 are wounded badly. The posse is shooting at the ones chasing Joe. Unfortunately Tink, even unwounded isn’t a very good shot, and he shoots Joe instead. Ace had gotten a mental Static Backlash in the first fight and was unable cast any hexes (I blame Tink’s Manitou). The blast injures Joe a little more, as well as the two Crawlers chasing him and all are stunned. After a very one-sided shootout (stunned Cave Crawlers aren’t NEARLY as deadly) the posse kills the remaining Cave Crawlers, and Evalina is able to stitch up Joe. Further investigation of the scene gives the posse enough human remains to concoct a story about river pirates using the caves as a hideout and how they cleaned them out of this section, and they collect the $1000 reward.
This suits my needs as Marshal, because now they have gained some notoriety in St Louis. And Joe’s enemy has spies everywhere, and is now able to find him and any friends he might be traveling with. (Black River is NOT a good enemy to have, Joe).