Adam and “Cutter” were involved in a shootout with several men who were hired by the former ranch boss of the ER ranch, a man named “Big” Paul Patterson. The shootout took place in a saloon in Muskeegie and as luck would have it a novice bounty hunter was in the saloon at the time, another player character that goes by the name of Dick Cody. A short and brutal firefight took place in which Adam Gray was grievously wounded, the most significant being a bullet lodged in his belly. However the characters were able to drive their attackers off, with the aid of Dick Cody, who recognized the two men from wanted posters. Unfortunately for Adam he possessed the doppelganger flaw and had a striking resemblance to a man wanted in the Midwest for several daring train robberies, a man known as “Two Gun” Frank Harrison.
After the shootout Dick turned the two men in to the sheriff. The conversation was quite difficult considering Dick was stone deaf. Despite his flaw he was able to negotiate a price for the man he thought to be “Two Gun” Frank. To collect the massive $650 bounty on Frank’s head Dick would be forced to travel stateside, most likely to Saint Louis. Not wanting to head back east he negotiated a settlement in essence selling the bounty to the sheriff for $125. “Cutter” was easier to handle, all he had to do was travel south to Black Horse and the ER ranch and turn the man in for the $75 reward on his head. After purchasing a liver chestnut mustang he did just that, heading south to Black Horse.
Meanwhile Gaspar had taken up a new profession finally purchasing supplies and doing what he intended when he originally headed into the cauldron, panning for gold. He was having some success finding a few small deposits of the color without disrupting any other claims. Most of the gold he was finding was placer gold and as such he was forced to move on from spot to spot never hitting a true strike, but holding out hope. On one of his routine trips into town he discovered wanted posters for his former companions labeling the men as armed and dangerous and referring to them as the “dynamite gang”. A reward of $75 was placed on the head of each man, including himself. Gaspar had left Black Horse on neutral terms with “Big” Paul Patterson, having actually worked for the man for a shot period of time. Concerned that he was accused of crimes he didn’t commit he headed south back to Black Horse to speak with his former employer with the hope of removing the bounty on his head.
While all this was going on another stage was heading into the Cauldron. On it were three men new to the area, two of the men, Henry and James, were former soldiers from Wisconsin while the third, William, was a half Indian heading in from Sequoya. Traveling with them was Daisy Lee Atkins, an attractive young woman heading to Lazarus with hopes of starting a new life and a Methodist preacher named Matthew Alewine. While the stage was heading along the rugged road the driver was shot by bandits and killed. The stage began to careen out of control as the man riding shotgun attempted to get the reigns while simultaneously tending to the driver. Henry, William, and James climbed out from the stage while it barreled down the road and attempted to help. In an effort to grab the reigns James was thrown from the stage, luckily only suffering minor wounds in the process. Sensing they were in trouble the man riding shotgun leaped from the stage as the horses began to pull it off the road and into the woods. Henry decided the best method of stopping the stage was to shoot the horses and he began firing on them while William finally leapt from the wagon as he was having trouble staying on it.
Behind them two bandits approached shouting for the men to throw down their weapons. A brief gun battle ensued and one of the bandits was wounded and knocked unconscious while the other escaped. James put a bullet in the wounded man’s head ending his life. Henry was riding the stage as it continued the charge into the woods, eventually the horses rammed several trees and the stage turned over, sending Henry flying as the wooden box slammed into trees. Three of the horses were killed, two having been wounded by bullets but luckily one of the beasts manage to survive. Amazingly both of the passengers survived. The man riding shotgun suffered a broken leg in his leap from the stage. With little other option the passengers decided to hoof it the last ten miles to Black Horse.
At the ER ranch Gaspar was pleading his case about being innocent. While speaking to Big Paul the bounty hunter Dick Cody arrived, turning in “Cutter” for the reward money. Paul decided to remove the reward on Gaspar hoping the incident would finally go away. The two men left on amicable terms and the Dick Cody and Gaspar Chavez returned to Black Horse to rest up after an eventful week.
"Rewards"
Group Rewards:
- Sitting patiently through rules sifting and slow paced action for the first few sessions: 5 BP’s
Brent (Henry Smith)
- Death defying stage coach climbing: 1 rep, 1 fame
- Being in a gunfight (sort of, you only shot horses): 1 rep, 1 fame
- Save the lives of the other stage coach passengers at great risk to yourself: 5 rep, 3 fame
- Survived death defying crash of the stage coach into the forest: 2 rep, 2 fame
Chris (William O’Toole)
- Death defying stage coach climbing: 1 rep, 1 fame
- Being in a gunfight: 2 rep, 2 fame
- Stage coach diving: 1 rep, 1 fame
- Save the lives of the other stage coach passengers at great risk to yourself: 5 rep, 3 fame
John (Gaspar Chavez)
- Publicly accused of the crime of murder: -5 rep, 3 fame
- Bounty removed for the crime of murder: 2 rep, 1 fame
- Successfully panning for gold (to the tune of another $112 – though you think that spot is panned out): 1 rep, 1 fame
- Completing a personal goal (collecting $100 in gold ) 2 BP’s
- Buying equipment for prospecting (professional path goal): 1 BP
- Find color (professional path goal): 5 BP’s
Mark (James Anderson)
- Unsuccessfully flirting with attractive traveler Daisy Lee Atkins: -1 rep
- Surviving a gunshot wound (severity level 2): 2 fame
- Death defying stage coach climbing: 1 rep, 1 fame
- Unsuccessful capture of the reigns and subsequent falling from the stage: -1 rep, 1 fame
- Deliver death blow to a helpless opponent: -1 rep
- Being in a gunfight: 2 rep, 2 fame
- Completing a personal goal, get into a gunfight: 1 BP
- Save the lives of the other stage coach passengers at great risk to yourself: 5 rep, 3 fame
Ryan (Dick Cody)
- Completing a personal goal, buying a horse: 2 BP’s
- Completing a personal goal, surviving a gunfight: 1 BP
- Capture a criminal, “Cutter” (profession path goal): 1 BP, 1 rep, 1 fame
- Bring in a local criminal, “Cutter” (profession path goal): 2 BP, 2 rep, 1 fame
- Bring in a notorious outlaw, “Two Gun” Frank (profession path goal): 3 BP, 2 rep, 2 fame
- Being in a gunfight: 2 rep, 2 fame
- Deaf role-playing action (only time you will get this reward): 2 BP’s
Ryan’s Horse: Mustang
gelding (neutered male)
Liver chestnut with a white snip and one full stocking.
Short speed: 11, medium speed: 12, long speed: 20, agility: 18, endurance: 14, horse sense: 15, trainability: 5, temperament: 6, mettle: 8, soundness: 10, strength: 12
HP: 31
Vices: striking
