Tale #1a: The Pygmy Goat Ranch

[Marullus]

That's much kinder. I vote for your way.

[Bluehorse]

Sheriff Wyatte

Moves away from the snake and takes aim at the final handler. FREEZE WHERE YOU'RE AT BEFORE I TURN YOUR HEAD INTO A CANOE!

Lenny, George, Jeremiah... you okay? This looks like it is about to get bad.

[Marullus]

Waiting for the GM to clarify how they feel.

[Samwell Turleton]

Wyatte remains prone with the black liquid oozing across his back rotting both skin and cloth. He yells at the remaining attacker who has fear in his eyes, either from the snake or from Wyatte you are not sure. The handler runs from you between the boulders to the west.

Lenny and George have a kind of empathy for one another that would be hard to describe to other Casketlanders. The pain shoots into George as the pellets tear into Lenny. The brothers come back together. This isn't the first time they have cared for one another in this way and George knows that as he is bandaging Lenny he is doing some good. The pain in his own side eases for a bit and the pressure is helping to staunch the flow of blood. George looks at his own wounds and sees that they might not be as bad as he thought. He applies a little pressure to his own injuries and Lenny sighs with a little additional relief.

Jeremiah sees the dire situation that Wyatte is in and runs to his aid. He slides in the dust alongside Wyatte and struggles with the ropes of the bolas around his legs. Jeremiah reaches behind Wyatte and tries to sweep the black liquid away from his back. The skin of his arm turns black with rot but it does provide a momentary relief. He tries to spread some of the liquid dripping from his forearm on the ropes of the bolas and they begin to rot but remain secure.

Wyatte, -1 Vitality 3/8
Jeremiah, -1 Vitality 7/8
Lenny, +1 Vitality 4/8
George, +1 Vitality 4/8
Handler, Fleeing

I believe these tallies don't reflect having used water to prevent any damage. Let me know again how you want to proceed with that.

[Marullus]

It sounds like one sip of water can negate all damage from a single attack, so I'd like to do (have done) that for George's knife wound (-2) and Lenny's shotgun blast (-3).

Narratively, I'd like us to allow that recovery afterwards (perhaps saying only the "last injury" to eliminate manipulation) as swigging from the canteen mid-fight is a very wierd requirement to me.

[Samwell Turleton]

Yes, I agree. I would recommend that if you opt to reduce damage with the use of water you don't also narratively try to figure out how drinking water stops your arm from coming off or the bullets bouncing off your torso. You can, as far as I can tell, state that you are preventing damage to avoid death.

[Bluehorse]

Wyatte does what he can to get away from the black ooz and grits his teeth clawing at the ground to get traction.

I'd like to use a sip of water for this round too.

[Samwell Turleton]

Gold Bluff_v10.jpg (98.14 KiB) Viewed 1326 times

[Samwell Turleton]

Please roll for Wyatte using an attribute of your choice. Please describe if you are trying to break the ropes, crawl to the edge of the walls, or something else that matches the attribute you use.

[Marullus]

Lenny: X O O O | O O O O
George: X X O O | O O O O

Bandaged, quenched, and catching their breath from the fierce fight against dogs and men, George now looks up to see the shadow-snake still emerging from the black goo. Lenny points out that it's head is passing the gap in the stones in the other direction. "Well, I don't reckon I want to be in the middle here when that thing makes it the whole way around! Let's go, Lenny!" exclaims George, then taking up his shovel and stumbling to a run to make it over the handler's body and out the next cleft before the snake passes it. "Come on, Sherriff!" calls Lenny to Wyatt and Jeremiah, waving them to follow.

[Bluehorse]

Wyatte

Flexes all he can to bust loose of the boost as he struggles away.

Brawn +2 [2d6+2] = 7+2 = 9

[Samwell Turleton]

Wyatte rolls away from the advancing black liquid and struggles against his bonds. The ropes frayed from contact with the black liquid begin to untwine and snap. Wyatte is freed and momentarily safe from the advancing liquid.

Jeremiah hears the call from the brothers and gets up. He is stiff and lends Wyatte a hand to get up. I think those brothers have the right idea, lets go..., he says.

George and Lenny make to scramble over the bodies of the wild dogs and handlers. As they start towards the south opening the handler comes running back out through the gap to the west with fear in his eyes. He has the same idea as you but is headed towards the openings to the east. Your paths cross momentarily but you have the same purpose. The brothers work their way through the gap in the stones. They see the head of a serpent but it is not black anymore but the liquid is slipping back from the tip of its head so that you see a largely transparent head illuminated from within with all of the colors you saw before when you arrived in this boulder field. The head is half way across the opening when you arrive there.

[Marullus]

Undeterred, Lenny and George both take a flying leap to go before or over the snake to escape the circle. Only after leaping does George consider if the dust storm is still there on the outside...

Survive (+Backbone) Lenny [2d6+2] = 9+2 = 11 George [2d6+3] = 7+3 = 10

[Bluehorse]

Sheriff Wyatte

Finally freed from the bolas he scrambles to his feet and away from the black liquid. Turning to look upon the serpent and then he tries to get a look around for a viable way to escape.

Trick [2d6+2] = 7+2 = 9

[Samwell Turleton]

The brothers scramble through the gap and make a brave leap across the path of the luminous serpent's head. The serpent's head moves purposefully but without awareness of Lenny and George. They clear the gap and large white clouded eyes of the serpent's head continue behind them. The inner glow of the serpent's head illuminates the red dust and is shadow where the body continues to drip black fluid. Lenny and George hear the jubilant sounds of dancing and celebration and see the shape of a tent to their east. They also recall Jeremiah's warning of the bluff in that direction.

Wyatte and Jeremiah see the handler running around the black liquid towards the east opening in the boulders. "I have seen a lot of crazy stuff in my time. I just want to see my daughter Molly one more time", Jeremiah says. He heads into the cleft that the brothers ran into. In Wyatte's gut he feels like that is the wrong direction to go.

[Marullus]

Lenny: X O O O | O O O O
George: X X O O | O O O O

Lenny and George come out of their roll and get to their feet, a bit shocked that it worked.

"There's a party over here, Sheriff!" yells Lenny back to the others.

George absently rubs his pocketwatch between his fingers, watching the shadowy, ichorous snake slithering by. "Well, at least we found the dogs that ate the goats..." he says in a flat tone, overwhelmed.

[Bluehorse]

Wyatta

Looks over the situation and shakes his head. Everyone get away from there! Something isn't right... We need to get away from here, but that isn't the way to go! leading by example, he heads more southward and will specifically look for a way to climb up the rocks to get away from the spreading black liquid and also get a more commanding view of what is happening.

Trick [2d6+2] = 12+2 = 14

[Marullus]

Avoiding the massive snake, George and Lenny circle wide around, heading to meet up with Wyatt and his chosen direction, also clambering up on the rock for better vantage above the red dust storm.

[Samwell Turleton]

Jeremiah hurries into the gap between the boulders. He breathes heavily and leans his weight on the wall of the boulder for support as he follows the curve of the stone. The stone is rough against his shoulder as it rubs against the skin corroded by the black liquid. He rounds the bend and sees the black body of the serpent blocking his path. Jeremiah sighs against the stone and his attention is drawn to the side of the opening. The black liquid is sloughing off of the glowing serpent's body like a layer of skin as it rubs its body against the boulders.

Wyatte clambers onto the south boulder rising into the dust and wind above the rocks. As he goes, he sees Jeremiah working his way along the boulder towards the gap. The writhing serpent's body passes by and out of view as Wyatte finds his footing on top of the stone. Wyatte sees the shadowy silhouettes of a crowd and another serpent bobbing up and down in the red dust.

George and Lenny move parallel to the head of the serpent as it rounds the boulders, hearing Wyatte's call from the other side. They can't see a clear path back towards the boulder that Wyatte is climbing but scramble up onto some lower rocks at the base of the larger boulder. They see the black liquid leaving the body of the serpent as its clouded eyes and luminous head and neck dazzle as it drifts past them at their sides.

You all hear a muffled sound against the wind, Ba Boom Boom Boom.

[Marullus]

"There's a party over here, Sheriff!" yells Lenny again, staring off at the colorful tents from atop his rock.

"Sheriff... we ain't on the same side of this thing. It's wrapped around your clearing. What you want to do?" asks George.

Does that say Wyatt sees a SECOND giant snake?