Deadlands Campaign Journal - Session 4

Session 4

Real World Date: February 18, 2017

Campaign World Date: June 16-30, 1876

The Posse

Biff - a delusional gunslinger. Played by Reuben.

Lonny - a huckster. Played by Troy.

What in Tarnation Is Going On?

The posse has captured the Comanche shaman Roving Wolf, who had tried to destroy the town of Goodwater, Kansas. The posse had also captured the nefarious outlaw Black Bart and retrieved a pair of goggles based on the "New Science" (a.k.a. Weird Science). The posse intended to return the goggles to Professor Otis Wilson, who was offering a reward for them. Finally, the posse was in hot water with the Black River Railroad, having killed one of the leaders of the Wichita Witches.

What in Tarnation Happened?

The Fate of Roving Wolf

·         In the aftermath of the fight at the Indian camp, Carrick had mysteriously disappeared. Lonny figured that the holy man had left to go on a mysterious pilgrimage. On the other hand, Biff had finally returned from Dodge City. He showed up at the Indian camp just as the fighting ended. [Charles could not make it this week, and Reuben put in an appearance.]

·         The posse took Roving Wolf back to Goodwater. They soon figured out that Roving Wolf had allowed himself to be captured. His death at the hands of the white man was probably the last part needed for some unholy ritual. The posse twice had to disperse a lynching mob that wanted to hang the shaman.

The Battle for Goodwater

·         Earlier, the posse had killed one of the coven leaders of the Wichita Witches. The Witches worked for the Black River Railroad, and that railway was not known for its forgiveness. Most folks assumed that the town of Goodwater was soon going to be wiped off the map.

·         The posse had sent Zak north to Dodge City a week earlier. His job was to find good and decent folk (a.k.a. the hopeless and the desperate) who would be willing to fight for Goodwater in exchange for free housing or free farmland. Zak had just returned to Goodwater with a number of opium addicts, debtors, convicts, and assorted other types.

·         The forces of the Black River Railroad soon made their appearance. Their army consisted mostly of railway workers, beefy men with hammers and clubs. Overhead flew a contingent of Wichita Witches, led by Esmerelda Wootton. She ordered her forces to attack Goodwater immediately and expected easy pickings.

·         However, in addition to help from Dodge City, the posse had ordered the construction of a palisade around the town. It consisted of overturned wagons, couches and other furniture, and parts of houses that had been dismantled. Despite this, the forces of the Black River Railroad swarmed over the barricades and were soon in the city streets.

·         Just when all seemed lost, Lonny made a heroic sacrifice. He walked out into the open and challenged Esmerelda to combat. The witch took up the challenge and attacked the huckster, as did several of her lieutenants. Lonny then lit several fuses of dynamite and blew himself and his enemies up.

·         That turned the tide of the battle. The forces of the Black River Railroad were leaderless, while the good citizens of Goodwater (and the dregs from Dodge City) were inspired by Lonny's sacrifice. Soon, the forces of the railway were put to flight.

·         In the aftermath of the battle, Biff was amazed to find Lonny alive, barely. The good citizens of Goodwater produced several bottles of snake oil and soon the huckster was back on his feet.

Visiting Dodge City

·         With Goodwater safe for now, the posse took Roving Wolf to the marshal's office in Dodge City. They assumed that whatever magic the shaman had planned was contingent on time or distance, or both.

Prosperity, Kansas

·         The posse then rode for Prosperity, Kansas, home of Professor Wilson. The professor was missing and had been for several weeks. In addition, some of the children of the town were mysteriously sick.

·         Professor Wilson lived in a creepy house on a hill. Lonny remembered that this house once belonged to Joshua Whateley. The Whateleys were an infamous family of supposed witches and warlocks, if you put stock into such foolishness. Joshua Whatley had disappeared several years ago.

·         Behind the house was an abandoned depot belonging to the Black River Railroad.

·         Biff tried to break into the house and was attacked by several . . . human hands. The hands had been severed at the wrist, but were able to move and attack on their own. They leapt for the gunslinger's throat and started choking him. Things looked grim for Biff. In desperation, Lonny threw his deck of cards at the hands and Biff, slicing all of them to pieces.

The Death and Rise of Biff

·         Biff died on the front porch of Professor Wilson' home from a massive cut to his neck. Lonny felt bad and paid for Biff's gravesite, coffin, and tombstone. The huckster was the only witness at the graveside service.

·         The next day, however, Biff showed up at the hotel where the posse was staying. He was covered in dirt, and the gruesome wound to his neck was still visible. Lonny ordered a bath and some food for the gunslinger. Biff tried to eat, but the food tasted horrible, except for the steak, and even that seemed overcooked, even though it was medium rare. More problematic, was that the food kept falling out of Biff's neck wound when he swallowed. Yeah, this was weird.

And that's where we stopped for the night.

Active Missions

Take the Goggles of Paranormal Detection to Professor Wilson / Find out what happened to Professor Wilson

Figure out why the children of Prosperity are sick and dying

Completed Missions

Stop Roving Wolf's plan to destroy the Town of Goodwater / Corrupt the Goodwater Spring - Roving Wolf was captured and taken to the marshal in Dodge City.

Save the town of Goodwater - The posse killed a Wichita Witch, Rebecca Flint. The Black River Railroad tried to take its revenge on the entire town of Goodwater. The posse managed to save the town from the onslaught.

Experience

Active Characters

2.5 XP awarded. Biff gains an Advance!

Name	Old XP	XP Awarded	New XP
Biff	2.5	2.5	5
Carrick	5	0	5
Lonny	5	2.5	7.5
Zak	2.5	0	2.5

Retired Characters

Name	Old XP	XP Awarded	New XP
Xavier	2.5	0	2.5

Deadlands Campaign Journal - Session 3

Deadlands: Session 3

Real World Date: February 4, 2017

Campaign World Date: June 8-15, 1876

The Posse

Carrick - a Blessed from Ireland. He has a major fear of cemeteries due to an unfortunate encounter with some walkin' dead near a graveyard.

Lonny - a huckster

What in Tarnation Is Going On?

The Posse rode into the town of Goodwater looking for the nefarious villain, Black Bart. The outlaw had stolen  from Professor Otis Wilson one of the new fangled scientific devices made possible by the recently discovered Ghost Rock. The professor referred to the gizmo as Goggles of Paranormal Detection, whatever that meant.

The posse met Monty, an Agent. They followed him to the north of Goodwater, on the road to Dodge City, with a plan to draw out Black Bart. The plan worked, sort of, and the posse survived a shootout with Black Bart and his gang. Then the posse saw a number of women flying on broomsticks approaching them.

What in Tarnation Happened?

After the Ambush

·         The women on flying on broomsticks landed and approached the party. They were indeed the Wichita Witches. Their leader was Rebecca Flint. She and Monty (Herbert Montgomery, the Agent) knew each other and neither seemed happy to see the other.

·         The witches flew off southwards, in the direction of Goodwater. The posse, with Monty, decided to track the outlaws, hoping to find Black Bart's lair.

The Old Man in the Creepy Cabin in the Woods

·         The posse tracked Black Bart and his gang to a creepy cabin in the woods. They tried sneaking up to the cabin, but both Carrick and Lonny tripped and fell, making a great deal of noise. Monty, on the other hand, seemed to disappear.

·         Hearing the racket, an old man appeared at the door of the cabin, loaded shotgun in hand. He invited Carrick and Lonny in for dinner, telling them that it was dangerous outside at night.

·         The old man fed the posse dinner. However, the food was poisoned with some kind of sleeping drug. At this point, Monty fired from the darkness of the woods, hitting and wounding the old man.

Black Bart Is Captured

·         The posse bound the wounds of the old man, and got him to spill the beans. He worked for Black Bart. The outlaw had a campsite a short distance away. The old man acted as a lookout and helped chase away anyone curious. If he had too, the old man would drug or kill anyone who came too close.

·         In the morning, Black Bart and his gang surrounded the cabin. They demanded that the posse surrender. The posse responded with a volley of gunfire. In the ensuing gunfight, Black Bart was captured and most of his gang killed.

·         The posse made Black Bart take them to his campsite. Black Bart's ill gotten booty was in an old abandoned mine, one now supposedly filled with ghost rock. After a series of misadventures, the posse retrieved the Goggles, the apparatus that produced a thick bank of fog, and a great deal of cash and gold.

·         The posse also found a massive book that weighed more than 10 pounds. The book was written in a strange language. Lonny could not read it, but surprisingly, Carrick could. The ancient tome contained a long, rambling, and mostly unintelligible history of Vralkresh , the Writhing One, a dark god worshiped by various cults through the last millennia. More importantly, Carrick recognized several rituals that would summon Vralkresh to this world (bad!) and one that would banish demons back from whence they came (good!).

·         Black Bart told them that he could read the book. He had hoped to use it to banish Maria Delgato back to hell. Unfortunately, the posse had convinced her to leave Goodwater. The outlaw feared that Maria knew that he knew; and that she was going to hunt him down and kill him.

·         Monty told the posse that the book had been stolen from the Agency. His job was to find it and bring it back to Agency headquarters.

·         After some discussion, Monty agreed to stick with the posse as they searched for Maria Delgato. Once the demon was taken care of, he would leave and take the book with him.

The Bounty for Black Bart

·         The posse returned to Goodwater with Black Bart. Rather than cold, hard cash, the posse opted to take an empty house in Goodwater.

Death of a Witch

·         Rebecca Flint tried to make a deal with the Posse. She went to the posse's house in broad daylight to negotiate with them. The witch stated that the Black River Railroad wanted the Goggles of Paranormal Detection. She could pay them a lot of money.

·         Negotiations went nowhere, and Rebecca left in disgust. That was when Carrick cast Entangle on her. Rebecca unleashed a monster: some kind of black pudding that moved and attacked with acid. In the end, the posse destroyed the pudding and killed Rebecca.

·         A crowd gathered. Chaos ensued. The posse managed to talk their way out of being lynched. However, the town knew that the Black River Railroad would make them pay for killing one of their witches. [The Fear Level rose from 2 to 3].

The Walkin' Dead

·         At sundown, the dead rose from their graves and attacked the town. The posse threw themselves into the fray and killed most of the walkin' dead. Carrick seemed particularly shaken by the sight of the walkin' dead. [Carrick gains the Phobia Major Hindrance: Cemeteries due to failing his Fear check.]

·         Investigation of the cemetery revealed evidence that Indians were involved: feathers, colored sand sprinkled on the ground, etc.

·         After the zombie invasion, many townsfolk announced that they were packing up and headed elsewhere. The posse tried to rally the good people of Goodwater, but failed miserably. [Carrick and Lonny failed their Persuasion rolls. The Fear Level rose from 3 to 4.]

A Fight with the Comanche

·         The posse tracked the Indians back to their camp. It was a large encampment, but only a handful of warriors were present. Luck seemed to be on the posse side

·         Roving Wolf was severely wounded during the fight. The shaman tried to escape but Lonny shot and wounded him. Carrick then cast Entangle on the Indian.

And that's where we stopped for the night.

Active Missions

Send Maria Delgato Back to Hell

Take the Goggles of Paranormal Detection to Professor Wilson

Stop Roving Wolf's Plan to Destroy the Town of Goodwater / Corrupt the Goodwater Spring - This one looks to be accomplished, assuming that the shaman they wounded and captured is Roving Wolf.

Save the Town of Goodwater - The posse killed a Wichita Witch, Rebecca Flint. The Black River Railroad will soon take its revenge on the entire town of Goodwater.

Completed Missions

Collect the Bounty on Black Bart - Instead of a cash reward, the posse took ownership of a house in Goodwater.

Experience

Active Characters

2.5 XP awarded. Carrick gains an Advance! Lonny gains an Advance!

Name	Old XP	XP Awarded	New XP
Biff	2.5	0	2.5
Carrick	2.5	2.5	5
Lonny	2.5	2.5	5
Zak	2.5	0	2.5

Retired Characters

Name	Old XP	XP Awarded	New XP
Xavier	0	2.5	2.5