Tale #1a: The Pygmy Goat Ranch

[Samwell Turleton]

The sun sets beyond the hoodoos throwing long black shadows across the ground. You think your eyes play tricks on you as you see small bits of the shadows break off and move along the landscape in the direction of town. As you walk north following the rancher the sky turns a rich reddish-orange and the sun falls low against the line of the hills. The first of the stars start to appear in the sky.

The winds have picked up as you follow Jeremiah. You are surprised by the stamina of the old man as he has steadily picked up his pace as the day has drawn on. The winds increase in their speed. Jeremiah hasn't spoken again since you left from the heart of town and the dust is now blowing in at the height of your hip obscuring your legs.

The ground has become more rocky and the going is unsteady. As the day gets on there are more large rock formations forming the base to the larger hoodoo formations.

You hear the wind howl and rattle some metal cans and Jeremiah slows a little. Something brushes against your leg. Jeremiah bends low and disappears into the dust. Another brush against your leg and you hear a tamp tamp tamp sound just under the wind.

(Actions)

Lenny
George
Sheriff Wyatte
Jeremiah

[Bluehorse]

The Sherriff kicks and stomps at the ground, immediately suspicious of a trap and draws his gun, holding on tight and not yet putting his finger on the trigger as he tries to figure out what is going on.

Brawn +2 [2d6+2] = 8+2 = 10

[Marullus]

"Something touched my leg, George!" yells Lenny. "Something touched it again!"

George narrows his eyes when Jeremiah bends down and dissappears. He grabs up his shovel and swings at the movement in front of his legs to clear the way, then breaks into a run, Lenny right behind. "Up on that hoodoo! Ain't losin' a leg to a mouth I can't see!"

Lenny [2d6+3] = 2+3 = 5 (brawn); George [2d6+2] = 9+2 = 11 (brawn)

[Samwell Turleton]

The sheriff kicks and stomps around him and catches something with his boot - THUMP. Lenny and George swing their shovels into the dust cloud in front of them. The sweeping movement of Lenny's shovel blade swirls the dust in the air and he catches sight of a rounded white shape rushing on past him. George sweeps his shovel in the opposite direction and the blade bites into something. Aaaaaa! you hear a high scream that sounds almost human. George pulls back his shovel and climbs onto rocks above the dust. An angry Aaaaaa! sound startles Lenny as a sharp pain shoots behind his knee dropping him to the ground.

Make a Survive (+Backbone) roll for Lenny, failure is -1 Vitality - success is a sore knee with no other lasting harm.

Jeremiah's head reappears from the dust and he is slow to get back up to his feet for a moment.

He stands to his full height and in his hands there is a young goat wriggling this way and that way - silver fur reddened in the dust. Whoa...hold it boys, I didn't bring you out here to harm my goats. He walks over to where George was standing and hauls an injured goat onto his shoulder. He also hauls Lenny up onto his feet and gives a sharp whistle.

"Follow me - lets get inside.", Jeremiah says as he carries the two goats off around a corner of a boulder and pushes open a weathered wood door of a shelter that is built against the large stone. A string of metal hung from the eave continues to rattle in the wind.

It is dusky light.

Interactions?

Survive Roll: Pygmy Goat [2d6] = 7
Survive Roll: Pygmy Goat (Sheriff) [2d6] = 5
Brawn: Billy Goat Attack [2d6] = 9

[Marullus]

Lenny (backbone) [2d6+2] = 9+2 = 11

"Ourch!" cries out Lenny; George rubs his knee, wincing painful from where he stands on the rock.

Seeing Jeremiah resuming a non-nefarious stature, Lenny grins broadly at the goats. "Wiry, firy, balls of fur..." he sings under his breath, helping George down off the rock. George limps slightly as they follow into the shelter.

[Bluehorse]

Sherriff lets out a sigh that is one part relief and one part exasperation but silently trudges on after the old man. At least they had arrived before the storm got any worse. He holsters his gun once more and keeps his eyes open for trouble while trying to shield them from the flying grit.

[Samwell Turleton]

“Get in, get in... “ Jeremiah says ushering the three into the tight quarters of the shack. He sets the young goat and the injured goat onto a blanket lying across the floor and grabs some fuel for a wood stove in the center of the space.

“Hand me that cloth...”, he points to a pile of rags near the sheriff.

He lights the stove and pours some water into an iron skillet.

”Make yourselves comfortable...”, he pulls a couple of tins from shelves along the wall. The wind howls outside and dust blows in through some small holes in the wood walls.

“Help yourselves...

So...you come all this way to help. Got any questions for me?“, he says as he offers the tins.

[Bluehorse]

Sherriff Wyatte grabs a couple of rags from the pile and hands them over before finding a space to sit. He eyes the dust seeping in for a second before watching Jeremiah tending to the wounded goat. When did you first notice these problems, Jeremiah? Is there any pattern to it you might have noticed?

[Marullus]

"You said you been findin' goats ripped to shreads," says George as he takes a few rags to stuff in the cracks and keep the creepy dust out, "Were they dead?"
"Did they stay dead?" adds Lenny, who pets the second injured goat which waits to be treated.
"Any of it eaten or taken?"
"It look like claws or teef?" adds Lenny, pantomiming with his own.
"...it always have this weird dust?"
"blowin from the north," adds Lenny in an ominous tone.

[Samwell Turleton]

With the hot water and rags Jeremiah tends to the blood matter fur of the injured goat. He wraps the cut area of the animal’s haunch once it is clean and eases the animal back down into the blanket.

Ya, we get these storms sometimes that lifts the dust. This one is a little out of season though.

The infant goat clumsily finds a way over to Lenny and nuzzles his leg.

“That one doesn’t have a name... you can name it, if you like.”, Jeremiah says.

The trio asks their questions over the wind while stopping up some of the gaps in the walls.

He takes a delicate confection from one of the tins he offered and pops it in his mouth. He closes his eyes for a moment as he savors it considering the questions.

He laughs a little, “they were dead alright and they stayed dead. The first ones had already been picked over when I found them”

He takes a sip of water and swishes it through his teeth.

“Well, it has just been a couple of days and a couple of goats. Not as bad as it could be, I suppose.

I just haven’t seen anything quite like it before.

I pulled the one from this morning into the shed...”, Jeremiah pauses for a moment.

“You want to see it?

InfantGoat.jpg (75.29 KiB) Viewed 1137 times

[Marullus]

Lenny splits into a broad grin, his thick hands petting the baby goat heavily.

“That one doesn’t have a name... you can name it, if you like.”, Jeremiah says.

George's eyes widen; Lenny speaks instantly. "Lenore," He sighs wistfully. "Lenore."

George looks troubled, speaking quietly. "It's just a goat, Lenny."


George turns his attention to the shed. "Let's see it."

[Samwell Turleton]

"Lenore is a fine name", Jeremiah says.

Wyatte nods in agreement with George's comment. "We didn't come out here to sit around, let's see it, the sheriff says.

Jeremiah grabs a lantern from a counter and lights the wick before returning the glass lens to its holder. "Stay close, it is going to be hard to see. Wrapping a cloth around his mouth and nose Jeremiah pushes open the door and leads the way back out into the storm. The dust is thick and the wind creates a steady noise in your ears. You can see the glow of the lantern as you follow closely. You walk about 30 feet and the light hangs and bobs in the air. You hear wood scraping against wood. You hear the wind. You hear the faint sound of gunfire in the distance.

The sheriff recognizes the sound clearly though it is far off.

The wood scraping sound was the door to the shed being unlatched and the group pushes in after Jeremiah. The lantern is hung from a metal bracket above the door and it throws your shadows across a canvas covered pile in the middle of the room. There is a musty smell hanging in the space and Jeremiah walks over to the pile and prods it with his foot. The pile doesn't move.

"You can never be too sure", he says looking at George.

He reaches down to the canvas covering and sweeps it back.

A small group of flies disturbed by the cloth moving lift into the air and land again on the carcass. The goat was large when it was alive. It has a rust colored fur that is speckled all over with dried blood and deeply matted with blood in places where the skin is pulled away from the muscle. The lips of the face are withdrawn so that the teeth in the jaw are exposed. A seam is open at the top of the head with the skin removed that exposes some of the skull. There is an orderliness to the wounds in the head. There is a disorderliness to the wounds in the body. The body is marked all over with rough rips and tears in the haunch, legs, and abdomen. Chunks of skin have been removed and there are numerous small rows of punctures.

Actions?

[Marullus]

Lenny drops to his knees, the open pain of grief on his face. He buries his fingers in the rust colored fur. "Poor goat, soft goat, rust-colored fur..." he murmurs, tears welling in his eyes. George steps up behind and places a comforting hand on his empathic brother's shoulder, Lenny's sadness affecting him as well. "Goat eyes, staring eyes, all eyes..." whispers Lenny.

"...hold secrets." finishes George in a matching whisper. George grips Lenny's shoulder, closes his eyes, and merges his feelings with Lenny, extending them towards the goat. "What did you see, little fella? What must we know to bury you?" says George softly.

George - See Last Moments [2d6] = 9

[Samwell Turleton]

2 Days Ago - Noon

The sun hangs high overhead and beats down on the rocks. The locals call this spot the Gold Bluff because of the color of the stone and dry brush. The precipice drops off to a plain and all this land has come to be part of Jeremiah’s ranch.

To the goats it is a good spot to rest in the heat when the shadows are short.

Through the eyes of a goat you see the other goats press together in the shade. There isn’t enough room for all of you to fit in the shade of the largest rock so you split off and find a more remote rock. You see some distinctive rock formations and some delicious looking shrubbery. You go over to them. Your eyes are sharp and your senses are keen as your head bows to eat the brush. You don’t see anything threatening. You don't feel anything threatening.

Your goat’s eyes suddenly jerk and the movement of the view suggests violent backward movement. You are being shaken side to side. You limp a few steps forward and your eye turns back to see a glimpse of a long elongated snout and two large upright swiveling ears. The view from the eyes is starting to blur but not before two more heads of similar shape melt out of the shadows of the rock. The view goes black.

[Samwell Turleton]

Sheriff Wyatte

Sheriff Wyatte watches as Lenny buries his fingers in the fur of the dead goat. The sheriff doesn't quite make out what Lenny whispers. Strange kid..., the sheriff thinks. The brothers exchange a few words and begin to appear as though their minds are wandering.

"Now is no time for daydreaming", the sheriff says as he steps forward and kneels in front of the head. He squints to see if he can make out any detail and tries to tilt the head into the light with the barrel of his shotgun. The head shifts a little but settles more in shadow than before.

Sheriff - Investigate [2d6-2] = 8-2 = 6

[Marullus]

"Doggies," says Lenny.
"No, but not wolves, either... Not quite," answers George, looking intently at the wounds.
"Something like it, though. And more than one, at least three. A pack of dog-like animals. Probably pretty smart ones," he finishes, directing the rest of his words to the Sheriff.

"You can show us where you found'em?Maybe once the dust clears, we can find some tracks." He nods firmly to Jeremiah, the looks askance at Wyatt for confirmation anyway.

[Samwell Turleton]

A pack of dog-like animals. Probably pretty smart ones, Lenny & George say. Sheriff Wyatte nods to the boys, that seems to account for the wounds across the back but the clean cuts along the head still gives me some concern.

Maybe we can find some more information in the morning.

Jeremiah unhooks the lantern from the door and covers the animal back up with the canvas.

Let’s all get some rest, Jeremiah says as he pushes open the door of the shed leading back outside.

The winds are still blowing and visibility is still low. You follow the lantern glow back to Jeremiah’s place. You each have a little space to rest and Lenore situates herself near Lenny.

The injured goat is looking a little calmer in its sleep.

You fall asleep quickly. In your dreams you each hear the sounds of voices but you can’t make out the words.

You wake up to light coming in through a small dust covered window. The view outside is still that of dust blowing.

Jeremiah scratches his head and yawns, looks like we won’t be seeing any tracks but I can show you where I found the body.

Actions?

[Bluehorse]

Sheriff

Gets up and stretches. Sounds good.
Let's have a look. Maybe we can get a lay of the area and see where the dogs might have come from...

[Marullus]

Lenny and George follow the Sheriff's lead. They watch to see if the last location the goat saw looks like the place they're going.

[Samwell Turleton]

Jeremiah directs the group to stay close and leads on to Gold Bluff. The ground is rocky in places making the walk a little treacherous as the path you follow steadily climbs and steeply at some points. The dust and wind lingers in the morning and you occasionally hear the clattering of rocks loosened by your steps, or from some other unknown sources. Lenny begins to hear the faint sounds of voices on the wind similar to those in his dream.

This is the place..., Jeremiah declares as you reach an area that levels off. Watch where you walk though, there is a steep bluff over that way. He points the direction so that you all can see.

You have the visibility of a few feet around you and when you crouch you can see the ground well enough. As you get close to boulders or other rock formations you can generally see their outlines before they are clearly visible.

You have all paused to listen to Jeremiah describe the area. You hear the clattering of rocks in the distance.

You have 2-3' of visibility directly around you. You can see the outlines of larger boulders and landscape features at 8'. Lenny and George feel this place is vaguely familiar from their experience inhabiting the injured goat's memories.

Assess Rolls - GD1 [2d6] = 7, GD2 [2d6-1] = 3-1 = 2, S [2d6-2] = 6-2 = 4
Assess Rolls - Jeremiah [2d6+1] = 5+1 = 6