Tale #1: The Camel Train

[Samwell Turleton]

Doc reaches his hands down to the vials to take another for a drink. Old Munkley protects the vials from his groping hands, "I'd best stay away from that if I were you. What's in these vials is no good for anyone. Don't want you turnin' into a frog now do we?" Doc grumbles under his breath and pulls his hands away tucking a thumb into a belt loop.

A strong breeze rolls in from the northeast lifting a low cloud of dust that covers your legs up to the knees. The dust hangs in the air obscuring the ground.

Jeremiah reacts quickly to the wind, "We had best get moving...we don't want to get caught out in a dust storm.. He starts northward for the ranch slinging a canteen over his shoulder. Some dry brush skips across the ground with a light clicking sound behind him as he walks on.

Sheriff Cockrin calls up to Deputy Fife who nods his understanding in return.

The sheriff falls into step after Jeremiah followed by the brothers. The clinking of the shovel blades on Lenny's shoulder marks the rhythm of the start to their walk north.

Molly pauses in her work as the group starts to depart. Jeremiah gives a nod and Sheriff Cockrin tips his hat. Molly returns a nod and both men think it is acknowledgement directed specifically to them.

Reckless Lou and Tuck have busied themselves with wrestling waterskins and well loaded satchels onto the back of the camel. It has had its fill of water. The trough sits nearly empty. Tuck and Lou have supplied their own packs for their journey and have a third prepared for Old Munkley.

"We don't know how long we are going to be out searching...but I can't stand this creature", Tuck breathes a heavy sigh as the camel tugs on the rope in Tuck's hands.

"It isn't as bad as all that is it? He just takes some gettin' used to", Lou says as she pats the creature firmly on its side.

Munkley needs to decide if he is going to take the camel with Lou and Tuck or if they will travel on foot - Tuck and Lou are on opposite sides of the issue.

The wind is picking up and there is a layer of dust that is deep enough to obscure the ground and your legs below your knees.

I will split this off into a sub-threads after I get that feedback.

Apologies - there are a lot of names in this post to follow!

[thenewflesh]

Old Munkley shakes his head. "It's all well and good for you young pups to be walkin' around with your packs, I need help carryin' stuff sometimes. The camel comes with us."

[Samwell Turleton]

Old Munkley can head over here: viewtopic.php?p=501049#p501049

Lenny, George, and Sheriff Cockrin can head over here: viewtopic.php?p=501048#p501048

[Samwell Turleton]

Deputy Festus sits in the dark looking out towards the street with a shotgun resting across his lap. A scream mingles with the winds blowing in through the Casketlands. The deputy gets up and taps on the bars of the cell with the gun barrel.

Get up...and carry these, he pushes a few lanterns into the hands of the inmates and ushers them out the door into the street. Spread out now, in an arc in front of me.

The lights glow against the dust. Deputy Festus can see that the prisoners are afraid as the lights tremble a little. The wind shifts and howls through the deck of the law house behind Festus. He turns for a moment keeping the rightmost lantern in his peripheral view. The light drops suddenly, Festus swings the shotgun barrel to point in line with the space the light once filled. Festus pulls the trigger and explodes fire and pellets into the night...

[Samwell Turleton]

Keep the light’s up and walk to your right, Festus yells to the remaining prisoners. They walk, stepping over the lantern that has fallen into the street, and the trembling of their lights becomes more pronounced. Festus grabs the fallen lantern from the ground. The light just above the street illuminates an impression where the lantern carrier has been dragged through the street.

There is shouting in the night as people wake up to the gun shot.

Festus directs the group and they follow the trail.

[Samwell Turleton]

The morning in the Casketlands is tense. Deputy Festus is missing along with all the prisoners held in the sheriff's office and a gambler of ill-repute who was heard screaming in the first place. The whole town heard the scream in the night and then the gunshot.

Brother Brimston is up early today and awkwardly tries to climb up onto a disused wagon’s bed. The problem is, nobody set the brake, and the wagon keeps rolling away. His left knee isn’t so good, it comes and goes, so he stumbles as the wagon creaks and shifts. He does manage to hoist his thin butt up onto it, swivel around, and stand up.

Standing in the morning light Brother Brimston removes his pretty new straw cowboy hat and places it on the wagon bed. Slowly and deliberately he regains his full height.

“Brethren and sistren. This world is not real. There is a Bearer of our Burdens that travels with us in this world and the B.O.B. said,

‘It’s just an illusion, with no more substance to it than a cloud.’

Same for the world of the dead. If you try to live in this world like it was real, you’ll just be going back and forth between two clouds. Like mist or steam going between two clouds.”

Brimston pauses for dramatic effect and he looks out into the streets to see if anyone takes notice and gives a smile, like he’s letting them in on a big secret.

“You are already dead!

Or might as well be, because that’s where you’re headed. It’s just a matter of time, you and I both know that. And then you’ll just be going back and forth between them two clouds."

Brother Brimston gazes upward to the sky for a second and gestures with his hand.

“Back and forth, between them two clouds. Alive. Dead. Dead, but no rest, bothered by the alive. Same as when you were alive you were bothered by the dead.”

He chuckles to himself, smiles and points a finger.

“Well... I am the second spokesman for the Traveler B.O.B., direct from the source.”

His eyes kind of glaze over. There is an audible gasp from a few people who have paused to listen to this preaching. Brother Brimston falters, reels, stumbles and drops out of the wagon and into the dust of the street. He stares up at the sky while lying on his back with a serene smile on his face.

The crowd shares the same thought but doesn't say it out loud, “crazy old coot fell himself out of a parked wagon. But, seems he really meant it about ‘B.O.B.’ stuff…?

A young woman looks over at Brother Brimston, Hey, you alright?

Go get Molly! Brimston doesn't look so good.

Credit to Jemmus for the writing of this post

[jemmus]

Brother Brimston
Brimston isn’t down long before he pops up, kind of wild-eyed. He seems more spry than before. He doesn’t seem to notice that his face, hair, and black cassock are all covered with thick dust, though he does distractly dig around in one ear. After spitting a wad of mud out of his mouth, he yells, Praise the B.O.B.! That was the real thing, no halfway there! Can you feel the power, brothers and sisters? It's all around us, of course you can. Thanks be to the B.O.B.!

He climbs up onto the wagon bed again, more quickly and smoothly this time. Maybe because he’s more energetic now, or maybe because he’s had some practice with the wagon.
It’s hard to tell. He poses his skinny, gangly, dust-covered self in a dignified, kind of saintly pose. Now, brethren and sistrnn, you just now saw the power that I was about to tell you about. That’s the power of the B.O.B.! That is what living in the real world is. In the real world of the B.O.B., and not in the clouds of the alive and the dead. The power. How true that is. He does one of his dramatic pauses that go on quite a while, looking thoughtful, like he’s pondering all kinds of deep imponderables.

Then, Listen, all of y’all! he thunders, sweeping a pointed finger across the little crowd and gazing over their heads, as if he were addressing a thousand people. The B.O.B. himself speaks to me and I’m speaking to you! I’m here to teach you and give you a chance. A chance to live in the real! Not living with one foot in the grave, or both feet and your head too in the grave, and then back in town, back and forth. We're blessed with having a well with water, and I’m blessed with having a live, healthy horse. Have you ever thought about those things? Do you think those are just coincidences? He changes to a more conversational tone and quickly says, ‘Coincidence’ means something that just happens accidentally, with no connection to anything else. Resumes gazing out at and addressing an audience of a thousand. Well. I’m here to tell you, those things are not coincidences. Winks a sweaty and dust-covered eyelid, then wipes away what might be a tear, or just mud in his eye. Everything happens because they're a part of what the B.O.B. intended. If you don’t want to wander around having both feet and your head in the dead and the alive, you better listen. And if you want to keep your blessing and not lose your water-- you better learn the teaching. That's what I'm here for. I can give you that teaching, one-on-one, or all of you at once. Take the first step here and now. Step up when you’re ready, brethren and sistren.

Takes out his harmonica and plays a song he calls "Shall We Gather at the River and Swim Around," which nobody knows. With a benign look on his face and his hands raised before him in blessing welcome, the thin, stooped dust-covered priest waits for the new believers to step up to the wagon.

Sorry all, TLDR, got carried away. Some of us know each other from other recent games. This one is looking like a really great one I'd say.

[Samwell Turleton]

Molly comes down into the street. "Brimston, what are you on about here? I heard from one my girls that you fell off a wagon and bumped your head...and here you are standing on a wagon talkin' about life and talkin' about death. We all know a thing or two about death out here." She says gesturing to the few people who have stopped and paid attention to Brother Brimston's preaching.

Don't we?

There are a few murmurs and nods in agreement.

Fortunately, the dust storm has cleared up a bit around here that we can stand around looking at our shoes again. Ned went missing last night. He was staying in that room up there and the door was still locked from the inside, but no Ned.

I don't know if you noticed but Deputy Festus and the folks rounded up for their antics at the gambling table in my establishment yesterday are also gone this morning and we are all standing around.

Molly looks off to the north in the direction of the swirling dust storm.

And there's that storm out there...who knows if it will sweep back into town. It is a strange time of year for that kind of weather.

[jemmus]

Brother Brimson's eyes go wide, and he's pretty deflated by Molly's scolding. Molly! Don't you know that there are Dead, Alives, and Madmen out there?

[Samwell Turleton]

Molly sees the body language shift in the preacher and softens her tone, ”Brother Brimston, I am glad to see you aren’t hurt as I had heard. You know we have different beliefs but perhaps we can talk about it more someday. For now I need to get back to undoing the mess made yesterday at *the Bent Nail”

With that Molly hurries off leaving a muttering gathering of townsfolk.

Out of the gathering you hear some voices. One is the girl that checked on you after you fell from the wagon, “How is it that we can move from the dead to the alive as easily as from the alive to the dead, preacher?

Murmurs of interest rise at the question.

A couple of helmeted faces stick out of the crowd. Some miners who were captivated by your words on their way to the pits.

”Where do we sign up, brother?”

There are a few more people who appear to be warily looking on. They appear to be on the fence about your words.

On his own there is a figure carrying a bright red bindle over his shoulder. He screws up his face with clear distaste for your words and the interest of the crowd.

*The Bent Nail - one of Molly’s businesses primarily known for its food and gambling tables

[jemmus]

Brother Brimston is overjoyed that anyone at all is interested. He raises his hands and says in a gentle voice, like a school teacher praising good kids, Brothers and sisters, some of y'all have shown a great deal of wisdom here today. You are on the highway to greater understanding and escaping the two clouds. We will discuss the teaching again later. But for now, we need to help Molly with Ned and Festus. And then, in his regular town citizen voice, I'll go get Trigger. We might need to do some searching and traveling. Put his straw cowboy hat on his head and hurries off on his semi-bad knee, humming "Shall We Gather at the River and Swim Around" to himself.

Trick [2d6+1] = 10+1 = 11

[Samwell Turleton]

"No more preachin' for today then? one of the miners says. "Best we be getting to work then", they nod back at you as you replace your straw hat on your head and start to head out on their way to join their crew in the shafts.

The young girl introduces herself and follows on your heels as you sing, Preacher, my name is Meg - I hope to hear some more about moving between clouds in the sky. When might you be getting up on the wagon again?

The man with the red bindle follows at a distance as you head towards the stable that Trigger is in.

[jemmus]

Brother Brimston calls to the miners, This wagon here will be our chapel. Check back again same time tomorrow. Or, listen for a bell ringing, calling the faithful to the teaching. Then, Very nice to meet you, Meg. Tips his hat. Brother Brimston. Nobody is more anxious than me to do more explaining about the two worlds. Like I said to the miners, check back here tomorrow morning, or listen for a bell ringing from this wagon.

Brimston glances back at the man with the red bindle. That fella who pulled a face at me. Who the heck is he, and what does he want?
Assess [2d6-1] = 7-1 = 6

Brimston reaches the stable and puts Trigger's bridle on her. She's a pretty good horse, bay with a white blaze and white fetlocks. Just a little swaybacked and not that far past her prime. Trigger, don't you do that thing where you hold your breath and puff yourself out, then blow out after I tighten the cinch. Trigger does exactly that. Brimston sighs. He gently but firmly pushes his knee into Trigger's belly, she exhales with a snort and shakes her head, and he tightens the cinch. TriI don't know why I have to stand on one leg-- with my bum knee-- every time I saddle you. But it's either that or end up hanging off the side of a horse in a loose saddle. Brimston goes over to the feed area, leaves a penny, gets a rather desiccated carrot and feeds it to Trigger.

He mounts up and heads the horse at a trot toward The Bent Nail, looking for Molly and keeping an eye out for that bindle-carrying character.

[Samwell Turleton]

As Brother Brimston walks to the stable he notices that the man with the red bindle hasn't followed all the way to Trigger's stall. You aren't exactly sure when he stopped following you but the thought still passes through your mind, that fella who pulled a face at me. Who the heck is he, and what does he want? As far as Brother Brimston can tell it is a drifter that has some contrary beliefs to his own and best to be wary.

Trigger carries you confidently through the town. You don't see the drifter or Molly as you trot up to the colonnade outside the Bent Nail. The sun blazes down on your backs and the shadows are short.

[jemmus]

Brother Brimston thinks (his lips moving a little) That jasper with the bindle is entitled to his own fool opinion, but he better just mind his own business. I won't have him disrupting the teaching to Meg and the miners and anyone else. He ties Trigger's reins to one The Bent Nail's columns and steps in. Molly here? Anybody seen Molly?

[Samwell Turleton]

Molly comes from a back room at Brother Brimston's call.

"Are you here to look into Ned's disappearance or are you looking for a meal?"

Molly is carrying a ledger and places it heavily on a dusty counter. The weight of the book hitting the counter sends a little puff of dust out into the room. "Well...we certainly have some work to do around here, don't we?" Molly looks around and a couple of her staff run off to grab some cloths to dust down the surfaces of the room.

"If you are here for Ned he was in the room just up the stairs and at the end of the hall on the right. The door is unlocked. We frankly haven't had much time to look around in there.

Potatoes have done well this year if you are looking for something to eat."

[jemmus]

Brother Brimston answers, Well, I came here to help find Ned, but I suppose that can wait just a little while I have some of those puhtaituhs. He takes out a gold piece to pay, but seeing the casket image stamped on the tails side makes a thought cross his mind. That bindle cuss. No, I shouldn't curse him like that just yet... that bindle fella. As the B.O.B. scripture says, "No good will come out setting out on a travel if somebody is waiting around for you back where you started." He flips the coin to check today's luck.

Conjure [2d6] = 11

Buzzard head up-- fair fortune today. Not what I was expecting. I guess that bindle fella can wait while I check on Ned.

While dining, he starts thinking about the contents for his next sermon, but images of that bindle cuss making a face at him and following him around intrude on his thoughts. Before he knows it he's finished his meal without even enjoying it or noticing he had. Thank you Molly, that was some fine cuisine there. Bon appetite. He kind of glances to see if Molly is impressed by his sophisticated vocabulary.

Manipulate [2d6+1] = 3+1 = 4

Well then, I'll check out Ned's room now. He gives Molly the gold coin to pay for his meal and heads up the stairs, his thoughts kind of elsewhere.

[Samwell Turleton]

You catch Molly’s attention as she passes through the room again. She acknowledges the compliment and thanks you for paying your bill.

“I’ll let the cook know you liked it”, she says and she seems to have warmed up to you a bit.

The stairs creak as you climb them. They weren’t installed evenly so your toe catches where they were put in at different heights. When you get to the second floor you can look back over the room from a mezzanine, head across the mezzanine to a corridor to your left that dead ends in that direction, or head to a corridor off to the right that dead ends in that direction. There isn’t much in the way of decoration but the wooden plank floors, wooden plank walls, and wooden plank ceilings have knots and grainy patterns that give it some texture. If you stare at it long enough you see twisted faces in the wood or strange creatures.

You have conjured some good luck Into your day, for a little bit at any rate.

Kudos for minting the Casketlands coin!

[jemmus]

Brother Brimston hauls himself up the stairs, to be honest, thinking more about Molly and if he might possibly have chance than about the missing Ned.
Funny faces in the woodwork, eh? We'll that's about right for Casketlands. He unfocuses his eyes, gets a deadpan look on his face, and tries to connect into what the calls The Zone. He looks closer at the wood to see if he can divine any signs or portents.
Creep [2d6] = 3
Hmm.
Looks at the hallways to the left and right. Thinks, Normally I'd take the right hand side first, but that coin toss said fair luck today. A good time to shake things up. Heads down the left hallway, looking around for anything unusual.
Investigate [1d12-1] = 5-1 = 4

[Samwell Turleton]

Brother Brimston gets to the top of the stairs and looks for a while at the wood plank paneling. Yup, definitely wood plank.

He heads down the left hallway looking for anything unusual. Brimston remembers that Ned's room was in the other direction but it doesn't hurt to look around. The last door on the left is slightly ajar and there is some heavy snoring coming from a closed room on the right.

The note about the faces and creatures is from my experience as a kid with some doors that had a lot of grainy patterns in them - I would see faces and creatures in the knots and grain. Your character will as well if their imagination takes them there.