The Shadow Riders
General Summary
The sun set in Purgatory Gulch afore the Snafu Posse put their defensive plans into action. Sunset glimmers like gold off the grass on the distant southern horizon, but darkness has set in here on the main street of town.
Three squads of Hell Bovine hunters move across the badlands, gaining and losing and gaining again the escape paths of 'Ranger' Horn. By now the foremost of them has passed the point where Ranger collapsed this morning. Instead of heading straight toward Ore Else, they have angled toward the main street of Purgatory Gulch.
Jesse Devonshire, Lee Chung, and Bruthazmus go on the shoot south of the Purgatory General Store and westward, hoping to intercept the scent trail.
Meanwhile, Scorpion settles down in the apartment above the General Store for a power nap while Miro Teague and Chef rearrange Mayor Blaze's front balcony to their liking.
Miss Sephia sets Padre and Ranger into the one room on main floor of the Purgatory Schoolhouse. She puts three of the ranch hand customers of the Purgatory Saloon to bunk down in the little buffer room between the land back of the schoolhouse and the subterranean cavern itself. She sends Xifeng up to roost atop the air turret on the north face of the schoolhouse. Everyone else is to help Miss Roselli Amore fasten up the storm shutters, and then hunker down for rest shifts.
The hard bit of this organizing is when Miss Sephia calls the stagecoach team over to discuss their participation.
But the firm statement of facts by Miss Sephia soon has them looking at the night around them in a new way.
Dusty hits "pause" on Sundown's bosh for a little serious talk. The outcome of that has the two orcs -- despite Miss Amore's objections -- heating up a couple flasks of coffee and then rigging their "hammocks" up on the roof of the schoolhouse. They do fully intend to get as much sleep as events permit, but will awaken ready for combat if trouble arrives.
The air grows a chill under the summer stars. Nasila should rise in an hour or so. Gothor won't peek up over the eastern horizon until well after midnight.
In the darkness, a low animal noise sets Dagnabbit to shifting unhappily under Jesse Devonshire....
Rewards Granted
On the Bovine-Fighting Side:
- Bruthazmus, Jesse Devonshire, Lee Chung, Rowtag , and Wrong Way each earn 5120 XP for this session
On the Ovine-Fighting Side:
- Chef, Miro Teague, Xifeng, and ZhangSephia each earn 3800 XP for this session.
Character(s) interacted with
The Good
- Freecities League Assessor Euphoma 'Scorpion' Hillbough
- Stagecoach team driver Suka 'Sundown' Threewood
- Stagecoach team guard Chooly 'Dusty' Greatwatcher
- Purgatory Saloon proprietor Miss Roselli Amore
- Pastor of Jasper Chapel 'Padre' Cirino De Mario
- Recovering blacksmith 'Ranger' Horn
The Bad
- in a scouting herd of 5
- in at least 2 flocks of 5-8 each, plus one advanced Hell Woolie trying to get in through the front door of the Schoolhouse
The Ugly
- Something trespassed all over Braunvieh Farm between the Snafu Posse's visits.
- Something has put the lights out at Tarntaise Farm.
- Something is making tiny but very bright little lights at the "scar" that was the scene of the Last Stand of the Whistling Wind.
Notes
The next adventure will be "Crossfire Trail", beginning after midnight on the 8th of Grolm. Everyone is mighty weary by now, but that dark farmhouse at Tarntaise Farm calls for some investigating!
