We are still in the Hunting Grounds and running away from the scene of the sacrifice. Jenkins’ spirit is following us. We see some people to the side of the path, and hear screams, but we heed Grey Owl’s advice and keep moving to the exit.
We finally get back to the gate. Jenkins’ spirit thanks us for freeing him, but says he cannot leave. He can answer our questions for a few minutes. He says that once the mine dried up and after his wife died, strange things started to happen in town. A group of people said they wanted to leave, led by Lorelei, the madame of the brothel at the Paradise Hotel. Jenkins tried to convince her to stay, but he was also worried about the future. He gave her the town papers, which was a contract between him and the townspeople to share all of the mine’s wealth. He put the papers in a strong box, and only his daughter Dolly knew about Lorelei taking it. The group of 60 people left and went south toward Spar City.
A week later he was walking home late at night, and the man with glowing eyes rode Jenkins down. He didn’t kill him but someohow infected him with a magical curse. After that he sickened and eventually died. Thaddeus asks what so special about the papers. Jenkins explains how the town was founded — he came out West in the early 1860s with a land investor from out East named Otto Stauss. They found silver and started mining, but it took years to get the town growing. They started the compound in those years and hired miners. Jenkins’ idea was to share any wealth from the mine with everyone in town, but Stauss was not a fan. The town papers were signed anyway. After the mine didn’t produce for a long period Strauss got tired of waiting and eventually left, but Jenkins and his family stayed. Stauss’s son stayed on but moved to a shack SE of town. The papers were re-written to remove Stauss as one of the founders. Jenkins kept on and brought in the sheriff, reverend and others. Then about 1875 they found ghost rock and silver and things started going well. Then in 1879 his wife died, the mine slowed and dried up, and people started leaving. More criminals came into town and caused more problems. Finally he asks us to at least save some of his family if we can’t save the city.
We fall out of the portal into the shore near the pond. Grey Owl welcomes us back. We ask about a shack to the SE, and he says he is aware of one. We thank him and start heading back to town.
On the way back we hear gunfire off the side of the road and up on a low rise. We go in to investigate, and it appears that a battle is going on between two forces. Most of the party starts up the hill while Lucille and Thaddeus continue down the road. Lucille casts a spell and charms one of the men to put down his gun and walk toward her. Maverick casts speed and the rest of the party moves up the hill. We see group of Soapy’s cowboys attacking a group of people dressed in stitched-together clothing, probably drifters. Fossar shovel f***s two of them and Maverick shoots another. Jimmy throws knives but misses. The bad guys shoot at the drifters and one falls. We all move in.
Maverick drops the last two cowboys. Magnus runs up to the drifter who dropped and dismounts. Charlotte convinces another one to lower his gun, but that one sees Jimmy and calls out to him. It is Glenn and the Dust Boys. They greet each other warmly. Magnus heals the one who was hit.
Maverick searches the bodies and we find $45, and an assortment of rifles, pistols, and shotguns. Glenn, a big talker, tells us that they roamed through here and they jumped these cowboys. They almost had them….
Magnus invites the group to come to Paradise Falls, as we have dealt with the criminal element. Glenn says that they also killed a few that they saw fleeing the town. The Dust Boys agree to accompany us back to town, maybe. They are a little scared of us, especially Magnus’ gadgets and Fossar’s shovel (and missing eyes). Glenn also tells us that Jimmy was found half mauled to death, and being pursued by some large unnatural creature. He took Jimmy into the Dust Boys group after he recovered, and gave him his name. They leave.
Meanwhile, Lucille reanimates one of the corpses, and it starts piling the other corpses. The zombie then takes a torch and goes and lays on the pile. The corpses start burning and we head back to town.
It is now completely dark, and our only light comes from a magic rock Lucille has. We hear a strange noise from the side of the trail, like something eating to the left of the trail. Fossar vaults off his horse and runs toward the noise. He sees a tall obese grotesque humanoid creature that is eating a pile of dead bodies. The creature moves toward him, but Fossar swings quickly and connects. The ghoul shakes it off and attacks back but misses. We all move up on the trail, but can’t see into the dark forest.
Jimmy runs into he trees and throws a lasso over the ghoul, pulling him off his feet. The ghoul jumps up and bites Fossar, wounding him. Lucille uses Mind Rider to see where Fossar is and what he’s doing. Fossar swings back and drops the ghoul, spraying gore everywhere. Lucille rapidly drops mind rider, as that is some disgusting shit.
A moment later, a man with a horse and cart comes out of the darkness, and calls out. He tells us that his name is Augustus, and he is lost on the trail. He is coming from Spar City. Charlotte convinces him to come with us to Paradise Falls. We finally roll into town well past midnight. Some people are still awake and cleaning up the town. Lucille goes to the sheriff’s office and the rest of us head to our saloon. Maverick and Magnus talk to Augustus, and Magnus intimidates him. Augustus tells us that he came from the west from Silverton. When he got to Spar City it had been decimated, and the only building still standing is the church. There are bones and gore everywhere, so he left in haste. We all retire for the night.
The next morning Magnus and others go to talk to Rusty. Lucille, meanwhile, is busy painting meaningless voodoo symbols on all the buildings in town (just for effect). Magnus tells him that we saw his father and he gave us a lead on the papers, and also what we learned from Augustus.
Maverick heads to the compound to talk to Jenkins’ daughter. Her husband Jed answers the door then calls for Dolly. When Maverick start to tell her he talked to the ghost of her dead father, she closes the door in his face.
Thaddeus asks Augustus for more detail about Spar City. Augustus says that the church was barricaded and appeared to be fortified. The rest of the town was destroyed by combat, with claw marks in the destroyed buildings. He saw horse and wagon tracks in town, along with fresh dead people as well as skeletons. With Thaddeus’ knowledge, he determines that Augustus is a total fraud snake oil salesman. Thaddeus lets him know that he is on to him, and Augustus makes a hasty departure. Spar City is 14 miles, or 1/2day away by horse.
At noon, we head to the town meeting. The posse is all there except for Jimmy, Charlotte and Fossar, and Ollie O’Malley, Robert Ford and Bat Masterson are there too. Rusty tells us that 15 townspeople died and 5 women were raped. Ollie’s Bar, the Yellow Canary, The Dancing Club, a hotel, and several homes were destroyed, and many other buildings were damaged. Currently the Grand Hotel is being used as a triage ward for the injured. Magnus promises to help heal anyone else who is injured. Robert Ford volunteers to lead the rebuilding effort, along with some miners and the blacksmith, who he says remains neutral and passive about almost everything. He is pretty sure that he can get him engaged. Bat Masterson says that the supply chain is imperative, so we should find out what happened to the supply depot west of town in Clear Creek. We tell them about Spar City, and volunteer to go there and save the remaining townspeople (if there are any). We need to be back in a week, so that then we can work on the supply chain. Magnus tells them that we saw zombie miners in the mine, and warns them to stay away from there. He wonders if the missing townspeople could be there instead of Spar City, but they don’t think so — the mine was in operation until last month. Rusty then calls for a vote for Sheriff, and nominates Robert Ford. The posse tries to convince Lucille to let there be a vote, since she will be leaving town to help with the rescue effort.
Poker Alice and Lawrence walk in and Alice says she should be the sheriff. We all vote for Robert, except for Lucille, Lawrence, and Charlotte who vote for Alice. Magnus tries to talk her into staying, but she walks away. He goes after her and says that she really helped during the siege and that the town needs her. She still grumbles but promises to help protect the town while the posse is gone. Robert takes the badge, and we get ready to head to Spar City early in the morning. Horses for everyone and two wagons are procured to hold the townspeople we are bringing back.
<metagame> Jimmy uses the “Spurred On” card, so our posse’s pace is doubled for one day.