Sebastian continues his scouting of the area behind the little ranch house. The hobbled horse are of average to a little below average quality. They're not as bad as the elderly Army horse he rode to here, of course. But they probably aren't going to win any thoroughbred horse races or show prizes either. The appear to be what's called a "Texas horse." Kind of thin, not too tall, a little longhaired and rough of coat. They have long necks and thin bony heads, and not much to look at. They're good for one thing, and that's about it-- running for miles and miles at a strong speed, in the hottest of weather, with little water. These horses are grazing on grass that might have already been overgrazed.
Sebastian takes a look at the barn, which has bright sunlight shining through to its dry and dusty floor. Because of the big round hole in its roof, no doubt. Beside the barn is a free standing tool shed with no doo and open on three sides. But it has an intact roof. And just behind that is a little rail fenced corral. With some rails loose and one of their ends resting on the ground.
All in all, the whole back side of the house seems to be a picture of squalor and neglect. The shines hard on the gray-bround grass and the hobbled horse shuffle around. A horned toad lizard cocks its head and looks at Sebastian with its little black eye for a long while, checking out the strange invading human. Before getting scared shuttling left and right off, toward it's own prairie and woods and red ant beds daily agenda.
All is silent all around, except for the irregular sounds of earnest voices and moving boots from inside the house.
Last edited by jemmus on Sat Dec 03, 2022 12:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
PCs
Dust to Dust (Stars Without Number) - Circuit Counsel Taavi Perttu Big Shiny Island (AD&D 1E) - Theo, low charisma ranger Samurai Adventures (Cold Iron) - Kiyoshi, ronin bushi
WW2 Supers d6 - Luther "Luke" Goodfox
Will go check out that loose rail. If it dangles on the interior of the corral or exterior as if knocked as a horse jumped over. I will check the ground.
From other observations, I expect a rider has sneaked out the back and took his horse, galloping away.
He is not much of a ranger or tracker. A single rider? He is tempted to follow but needs to consider still being partially wounded and better to stay within the parole.
Any other horses in the barn, this old army nag might not be up to much chasing.
The one end of the rail seems have fallen fairly recently.
There are horseshoe tracks all around the gate to the corral, both going in and coming out. The fresher-looking ones look like they were made by several horses.
On the outside wall of the barn there's a ladder going up to the open door of its loft. The ground floor of the barn is empty, except for mice scurrying off to hiding places and two gunny sacks (burlap bags) sitting on a bench. They appear to be filled with grain, one full, the other around 1/3rd full. The mouths have been tied off with rope. Which is a common practice, to prevent horses from helping themselves to their favored fare.
PCs
Dust to Dust (Stars Without Number) - Circuit Counsel Taavi Perttu Big Shiny Island (AD&D 1E) - Theo, low charisma ranger Samurai Adventures (Cold Iron) - Kiyoshi, ronin bushi
WW2 Supers d6 - Luther "Luke" Goodfox
I will climb up to have a look see. Maybe someone was camping here, hidden away from the house and I might catch the dust of the horse's heels in the distance.
Sebastian climbs up on the fence of the corral. He seems only the grass and low trees of the Wiley place and longhorn cattle grazing. To the north is a line of taller trees, which is probably Purgatory Creek. Nothing else is notable.
PCs
Dust to Dust (Stars Without Number) - Circuit Counsel Taavi Perttu Big Shiny Island (AD&D 1E) - Theo, low charisma ranger Samurai Adventures (Cold Iron) - Kiyoshi, ronin bushi
WW2 Supers d6 - Luther "Luke" Goodfox
Sorry, I misunderstood.
Sebastian climbs the ladder attached to the barns outer wall and enters the hay loft. More mice scurry away. Sunlight shines in through where a big section of the roof has collapsed, and the floor creaks under his steps. Hay stray is strewn around on the wooden planks floor, and there's a stack of old hay a yard tall and around five feet wide. There's a rusty pitchfork beside. The haystack has mice tunnels into it at floor level and above. Sebastian remembers a warning his dad gave him as a kid: Mice are prey for about any kind of small animal that eats meat-- including rattlesnakes that will enter mouse tunnels. The loft seems otherwise empty of all but a haystack, pitchfork, and disturbed soil and hay dust hanging in the still, hot air.
PCs
Dust to Dust (Stars Without Number) - Circuit Counsel Taavi Perttu Big Shiny Island (AD&D 1E) - Theo, low charisma ranger Samurai Adventures (Cold Iron) - Kiyoshi, ronin bushi
WW2 Supers d6 - Luther "Luke" Goodfox
Looking for people not mice, the loft empty and as a casual search provides no other clues to bandits staying here. So he will return to the other cabin.
Shot-up Sebastian groans a bit on the way back down the ladder. Placing boots on rungs and having hands follow sometimes take some planning and effort. He plants his boots on the ground and sniffs his bandages. No foul odors, no smell of rot. It seems the sawbones did it right. Hurts like hell, though.
He returns to the unkempt and frankly smelly little ranch house. Through the open back door, which leads directly into the kitchen. It seems that these Wileys might be bachelors who don't think much about dish washing or house cleaning. Houseflies seem to like it well enough, though. It seems to suit them and their wives and baby maggots just fine.
From the kitchen, Sebastian can see the posse members turn toward the door and start to depart the living room. He sees and hears a boy say, Pa! That son of b*tch county deputy waltzed right in here, got a confession that could make us dance on a rope! And the son of b*tch took ar guns too! Whaut ar we gonna do, pa? Harvey Adler ain't gonna say a word to them town posse pikers. I know it and I swear it, Pa.
Sebastian hears the whole thing, undetected. 20 on a 1d20 roll. He has the options of stomping through the house or mounting his horse and rejoining the riders. Who are about to ride away. Toward the East (settled land) or the West (the prairie which goes all they way to the Rocky Mountains).
PCs
Dust to Dust (Stars Without Number) - Circuit Counsel Taavi Perttu Big Shiny Island (AD&D 1E) - Theo, low charisma ranger Samurai Adventures (Cold Iron) - Kiyoshi, ronin bushi
WW2 Supers d6 - Luther "Luke" Goodfox
Walks through the group as they discuss. He has grabbed the cards left in the table.
"Seems like your friend left before he could cash in. He had you beat all ends up. Trustworthy sort, skipping an extra ace into his hands.
Anything else you fella's want to say about the cheating, thieving cowpoke who nipped out the back?"
He passes them, showing the hand left on the table, (if he had time he might have filched the pack to put aces and kings in the guys draw rather than ordinary numbered cards).
He looks at them for any last word of confession before he exits the cabin to join the others.
The senior Wiley says, Well, ya smart alecky jackass, who come through my back door uninvited, can git yerself out the front door the same way. He and the boys (with the exception of the formerly whimpering and sobbing one) glare at Sebastian. Who saunters on out, mounts his lean old Army horse, and joins the heading-out posse.
There are only a 2-3 cards on the table. The rest are presumably in the boys' pockets. It seems that they they hastily scooped up the cards and money from the table when Wiley called out for everyone to get their guns. But Sebastian's posted action gave me a chance to read up on the Gambling rules, with the more advanced cards cheating variables. And I rolled to simulate what would have happened with a cheating attempt, had their been more cards on the table.
-Sebastian would roll on his Gambling skill twice and use whichever roll he wants. In the simulation, Sebastian won both rolls.
-If both rolls had failed, everyone in the room would have gotten an Observation check roll.
-Any char with Gambling skill would get a Gambling skill check to detect the cheating as well.
-If anyone succeeds, the cheat attempt fails. And the whole room knows about the attempt.
p. 89 Alternatively, a gambler can cheat. This
work the same as usual, except the gambler
gets to roll twice, modifying each roll if it's
less than his skill score, and use whichever
roll he wants. Every time the gambler does
this, however, be must make a Gambling skill
check. If this check fails, then every other
character at the table (even those who aren 't
playing! ) make an Observation check.
Characters who have Gambling skill make a
Gambling check as well. If any one of these
checks succeeds, that character has detected
the cheating. At that point, it is up to the
character how he handles it. Customarily,
NPCs will demand that all of their losings for
the night be returned before going for their
guns.
PCs
Dust to Dust (Stars Without Number) - Circuit Counsel Taavi Perttu Big Shiny Island (AD&D 1E) - Theo, low charisma ranger Samurai Adventures (Cold Iron) - Kiyoshi, ronin bushi
WW2 Supers d6 - Luther "Luke" Goodfox
Sebastian and the deputy mount up and set off, the deputy leading a pack horse with picks and shovels. They come to the old stockade and see Charlie, but not William and the prisoners. Charlie surrenders himself, his weapons, and his horse. The deputy says, Mr. Charlie, you have five days left to serve. The town marshal's office officers will release ya then, if I'm not back to do it. He takes the heavy wooden bar off of the stockage gate and he and Charlie enter. The cowboys are there, listlessly playing cards on a stump. One says, Deputy, what can we do to git outa here? We got ta git back to the herd. I expect the trail boss would pay top dollar fer that. The deputy replies, I expect y'all ain't got no more jobs with that herd. The cowboys been riding all over the county hirin yer replacement. And they did pay top dollar fer that. I've heard that that herd done moved on north. But don't worry, somebody'll hire ya soon enough. Near everybody in Texas needs a decent cow hand.
Now, I don't want to hear of no ruckus between y'all cowboys and this part-Indian prisoner. I think y'all fellas already learned the hard way what gitting on the wrong side a the law can do. Mind yer manners and you'll be out and drivin cattle to Kansas again and dancin with dance hall girls agin.
He and Sebastian ride back to town to stable Charlie's horse store his weapons, and take care of some lawman paper work, presumably about Charlie's resumed incarceration. By now it's getting close to dark on this early June night. Mr. Sebastian, I'm gonna say it's too late in the day to ride. We're gonna consider that ride out and back a day of yer term served, if you sleep here in the jail tonight. It ain't so bad, and you'll get a free hot meal, on the county. I'll have to take your weapons, though.
Sebastian is up.
PCs
Dust to Dust (Stars Without Number) - Circuit Counsel Taavi Perttu Big Shiny Island (AD&D 1E) - Theo, low charisma ranger Samurai Adventures (Cold Iron) - Kiyoshi, ronin bushi
WW2 Supers d6 - Luther "Luke" Goodfox
He shrugs, the bunk at least out of the rain. He tries to look on the bright side.
He has his revolver, dagger and the sawn off shotgun plus belts with ammo pouches. No point trying to smuggle anything into the cell with him.
"Hot meal, rice n beans, maybe some watermelon, coffee too. No sugar, girls say I am sweet enough."
Does Deputy have a name? While in the office, perhaps when the guys is distracted (pre lockup) he will scour the Wanted: posters, perhaps taking a sheet in his pocket in case any bounty presents itself.
Sorry, somehow I didn't get a notification about the post.
Sebastian's shotgun isn't sawed-off as of yet. (That would make it a scattergun in BH's rules). The town blacksmith or even Sebastian himself could do a conversion with a hacksaw easily enough, if the deputy will allow time to do that.
Sebastian doesn't spot any wanted posters in the sheriff's office. He sleeps on the plank bed well enough. He tries not to roll around or change position much because of his aching wounds. At daybreak Hays County Deputy Sheriff unlocks the sheriff's office's front door and comes in carrying a lever action rifle and a plate of fresh biscuits and what looks like fried salted sow belly. Mornin, Mr. Sebastian. We'll ride as soon as yer done with yer breakfast. He doesn't mention that it's probably time for Sebastian to change the bandages that the doctor gave him.
Sebastian's horse, Riney's horse, and a pack horse are hitched outside. The pack horse has two saddle bags that appear to be pretty full, two picks and two shovels, gunny sacks*, and a long coiled rope. The deputy says, Mr. Sebastian, no insult intended, but I'm going to have put yer firearms on this horse. The reason bein is it's a crime to arm a convicted prisoner who's servin a sentence. Ya can keep yer knife. We'll ride in this order: you in front guidin us to the place and me behind leading this pack horse.
If there's need fer gunfire along the way, say which weapon ya want and I'll draw the pack horse up and pitch ya yer weapon. But-- again, no insult intended-- if ya don't feel up to fightin, don't do it. No blame in that. When yer shot up and the next slug could be end of it all.
They set out headed west on the road out of town . They again pass the stockade, follow the San Antonia highway south, and for the second time in two days turn off west onto the road to Stringtown. As they approach the ranch of the Wiley brothers robbers and horse thieves, Riney says, Whoa, Mr. Sebastian. Ah'll here fer just a spell. He walks his horse off of the road and into the trees skirting it. It's easier to see a moving rider than a fella who could be anywhere watchin with iron sights lined up ya. No use takin a chance if ya don't have to. He scans toward the house and around it as he walks his horse. And looks back once in a while to check on the pack horse-- and Sebastian and his horse behind it. Then walks his horse back onto the road and says, Alright. Please take the lead again, Mr. Sebastian.
The pass the riverside copse where they recruited the Tonkawa yesterday. It's empty today. And reach the area of the spot where Sebastian thinks the Tonkawa turned north and started tracking the rustler's hoof tracks.
Need an Observation roll to remember and spot the turn-off point in this road, bushes, trees and grass place. Please roll until you succeed, or give up. Each roll takes half an hour.
*Burlap bags, like for carrying potatoes
PCs
Dust to Dust (Stars Without Number) - Circuit Counsel Taavi Perttu Big Shiny Island (AD&D 1E) - Theo, low charisma ranger Samurai Adventures (Cold Iron) - Kiyoshi, ronin bushi
WW2 Supers d6 - Luther "Luke" Goodfox
Recognizing cacti and boulder formations, "This way, follow me" following a lesser worn trail over creek and dry gulch.
He would prefer his pistol but makes no bones about riding 'naked'. When Riney stops and sneaks off, he figures it to be just as much a test if his own trustworthiness. He doesn't mess with the mule or try any sleight of hand to sneak any weapon to himself.
He practices a little with his dagger, balancing the blade in the back of his hand and rolling the blade around his palm.
"You trust these injuns? Medicine men and scalp hunters. Half coyotes, 'Wendigo'. Wouldn't surprise me they found the fellow we shot up. Bet he tracked down and staked out under the sun or buried up to his neck in an ant hill."
Sebastian finds the turn-off spot for rustlers' house. He leads the way, twirling his hunting knife with one hand and hold his new horse's reins with the other. At sunset they get to the rise overlooking the house, and Deputy Sheriff Riney says. Let's stop here fer a second. He dismounts and takes Sebastian's rifle and pistol from the pack horse and hands them to him. Ya better have yer guns. Any criminals who got away might have come back to check out the situation. Criminals do that most often. Its human nature, they want to know what happened. He walks forward, rifle in hand, until he can see over the rise. He observes for a minute or so, then returns and mounts up. Let's go. Side by side now, 10 foot apart.
The two reach the house, dismount, and hitch their horses to a post outside the front door. Riney raises his rifle and looks into the house's main room from the door jamb, then goes in. Flies are buzzing around everywhere in the hot summer evening. There's a smell. There's one a em. Still on the floor. Y'all hit him in two fatal spots, dead instantly. He proceeds to the back door, again with rifle leveled, looking through the doorway. Another one. Several bullet holes, didn't die as fast. He does the same raised rifle thing and the doorway of the door-less shed behind the house. Then circles around to its back. Somebody was shootin rifle rounds from here. Shell casings in the grass. I guess it was one a y'all. There's the other one out in the pasture, past the corral.
What has Sebastian been doing during this? Following along, or doing something else? Feel free to rewind to any point.
PCs
Dust to Dust (Stars Without Number) - Circuit Counsel Taavi Perttu Big Shiny Island (AD&D 1E) - Theo, low charisma ranger Samurai Adventures (Cold Iron) - Kiyoshi, ronin bushi
WW2 Supers d6 - Luther "Luke" Goodfox
"Them's them all right." he turns his nose up at the smell.
"We gonna bury them here?" he asks though obviously we bought shovels for just such as an occasion as this one.
"Can't say I remember any names. You know these fellows? Shall I just mark a John Doe upon his marker."
He figures the cabin had been well searched before so doesn't bother with ferreting about for more goods. He suggests the pasture as good a spot as any and drags the bodies together and starts digging a shallow grave.
I don't recall ever seeing any of these fellas in Hays County, Riney replies. I believe we're in Blanco County, and out of my jurisdiction. But it's a 25 mile ride to the county seat of Johnson City, and I can't afford the time getting farther and farther from my work in Hays County. I expect the county sheriff and magistrate won't much mind us doing them the favor of burying these bodies. Nobody knows thar names, but they was caught red-handed with stolen horses, so I s'pose unmarked graves is plenty good enough fer em. Tell ya what, Mr. Sebastian. Yer shot up and haven't taken no time to heal up. You watch out fer us, and I'll do most of the diggin. The big man takes one of the shovels and starts methodically throwing dirt.
Need three Observation rolls from Sebastian.
PCs
Dust to Dust (Stars Without Number) - Circuit Counsel Taavi Perttu Big Shiny Island (AD&D 1E) - Theo, low charisma ranger Samurai Adventures (Cold Iron) - Kiyoshi, ronin bushi
WW2 Supers d6 - Luther "Luke" Goodfox
