[Game Thread] Act I - Caught In A Briar Patch

[kdtompos]

Theme Music

Grassy Spur Nestled in the folds of a tired old mountain, this town sits in near complete seclusion. Roads of crushed rock wind their way between clusters of buildings. Aside the main road, a monolithic, rusting windmill bobs rhythmically, pumping water. Rows of tiny, identical homes house the working class. On the northern ridge, massive machines move coal from the mine to processing camps to be sold. Off in the distance, silhouetted amongsth the mountain ranges, a magnificent rail bridge spans the gap between two peaks.

You hear Benji decend from the foresection of the coach and unclasp the door. While the ride has been comfortable, the wave of fresh air and the prospect of stretching your legs are quite stimulating. You gather your belongings and step back out into the sunlight. It's quite warm outside, as you expected it would be; but it's a dry heat. The warm breeze carries whispy tufts from a nearby cluster of cottonwoods.

The coach has stopped outside of what appears to have been a large mill at one point, but has now been turned into a local taphouse. The three story siloed establishment seems rather aged, but has undergone a number of upgrades. Local miners are slowly trickling in, while casting skeptical looks at the new arrivals.

"I believe they call it the Old Mill," Benji informs you. "This is likely the best place to find information, as well as meet some of the locals."

It'll be a few days 'for I pass through here again, but I'm spending a day or two in Creekbend, which is about 15 miles Northeast of here, then stopping back through in case the four of you need a trip out." He follows this last comment with a smirk, anticipating the welcome they'll receive in such a small town. "And before I go, I just want to assure you that my fare is worked out with an agreement through the rail system, as you may have already known. Your ticket for the first leg of the trick also covered your ticket for this second leg. I hope it was more than satisfactory." At that, Benji bowed before you all, replaced his hat, tugged at his vest to straighten any creases and stepped back into the idling coach.

The Old Mill The Old Mill is clearly open, but the shutters are all closed. As you step inside, slants of dusty light fall across the taphouse in places where a half-dozen even dustier patrons hunch over their brews. You can feel the temperature drop as you step into the shady interior. There is no greeting welcome or even much of an acknowledgement beyond the few patrons' stares that put you firmly in your place as outsiders. One gentleman, mith dusty overalls and a matted head of hair shaped no doubt by the helmet of his profession, scoffs visibly seated among his two other friends at a table just inside the entrance. You can hear them commenting amongst each other, followed by bellows of laughter. On the west wall rests the bar in another sliver of light piercing through the drawn shutters. The wall behind it, stocked with empty glasses of various shades of brown and green, is divided by a mesmarizing display of clear and copper tubing. Eight taps are displayed prominantly on the face of this twisted menagerie; each with 3 gauges of various readings mounted above them. The town may seem simple in many ways, but it's quite clear where priorities lie and currency is spent. An impossibly tall, pale woman in a shiny brace-girdle stands up from a bent position behind the bar, with a dust rag in hand. She knods half-heartedly at your approach and asks in a lazy voice, "What'll it be, strangers?"

[Surgate]

Jeremiah's hands are neatly folded behind his back as he approached the bar, looking up at the bartender and in a rough voice responded, "Water and a few words" Alcohol and other vices held no sway with the widowman.

"I hear Grassy Spur is having troubles" Jeremiah grumbled. He ignored the other locals.

[austarrowsplitter]

Darren, however, was paying special attention to the local patrons. He wasn't much one for words, but he knew the working class well enough, having been one of them, to know that there was usually an 'alpha male' who lead the 'pack', at least when the bosses weren't around. Find them, and you found your 'in', one way or another. He did, however, answer the woman behind the bar, "I'll have a beer. After all, it'd be rude to come in here an' not buy nothin'."

[kdtompos]

The tall woman raises an eyebrow slowly at Jeremiah's words. She takes a minute to appraise him, noting the posture of authority and hands folded behind his back. After a few seconds she pulls a green mug from the shelf behind her and makes a rather intentional scene of dusting it clean, then saunters to the far side of the bar where a large open topped barrel holds their clean water. Upon her return she sets the mug before him with mock reverence, and even throws in a little curtsy.

"Every town has it's struggles, widowmaker." she replies as she turns her back to grab another mug. This one she fills at one of the sparkling taps mid-bar, but doesn't tip the mug as she does so. She slides the mug of half foam to Darren. "But we can deal with it ourselves. Thank you so much for your concern, though."

She turns to Darren then with both eyebrows raised. "I'm assumin' you don't have any scrips. So that's a dime."

 

It seems you aren't well liked here. If you would like any information it will require a diplomacy check. Feel free to roll them here, or in a seperate thread for rolls if you want to know the roll before you create your post.

[Surgate]

Jeremiah made no indication that he was offended. The warm welcome they were recieving wasn't unorthodox in small towns like Grassy Spur. He accepted the mug and gulped down a portion of its contents and glared at the tall bartender. "Some more than others. Enough to warrent a request from Mayor Wyatt".

And as a finishing thought he added with the same grumbling monotone as ever, "You're welcome"

Diplomacy:

Dice Roll:

1d20-2

(4)-2

Total = 2

[austarrowsplitter]

Darren just sighed and pulled out the money, figuring that the bartender probably needed it. When she mentioned scrip, he knew that that meant that the company wasn't paying the miners with real money, which meant that the company could more or less make life hell for anyone it pleased REAL easy. Especially the shopkeeps around here who depended on the miners getting paid.

"Here ya go, ma'am. One dime," he grumbled. While he wasn't going to argue, he wasn't a very good liar, and he wasn't hiding his displeasure about the price very well at all.

[TheMystic]

Mr Fletcher takes a seat further up the bar, signalling interest in the barmaids attentions with a small wave. "Those men seemed to be bothering you. I thought you might like the excuse to step away." The gentleman reaches into his pocket, "I have a proposal for you. I'm sure a having a little hard currency in hand could prove to be handy." he takes five dollar bills from a leather wallet and places them on the table "If you could trade these for four dollars in scrip, I would be most grateful." then "The last I would trade for some information, if you have it."

[kdtompos]

Delth Gierhardt Delth slides in behind Darren. Somewhat shadowed by the stature of the giant, he hoped to avoid some of the animosity. However, he can feel the eyes of the patrons follow him to the bar. It's an uncomfortable place to be, the atmosphere feeling both cold and hot as he takes a seat beside the railroader. It takes an incredible amount of composure to remain collected in the midst of the vulnerability of such blatant scrutiny. The young man maintains a stoic resolve, nodding his head in a respectful greeting toward the bartender, who scoffs at the attempt.

Jeremiah Norval "Some more than others. Enough to warrent a request from Mayor Wyatt".

The bartender's lips stretch into a thin smirk. With her height she is often forced to look down on people in a very literal sense, but in this instance it seems to work on metaphorical levels as well. "Oh?" She replies, with raised eyebrows but flaccid eyes. "Well if it's the venerable Mayor who requested your presence, you'll find him right over there." A lithe arm stretches out over the bar, indicating a rotund man a few tables down with a deep drooping mustache. The man sports an extremely worn pair of coveralls, and is in the midst of telling a story in a volume far greater than his small table would warrant, and extremely 'colorful' language.

"No, I'm the Mayor!" Shouts the unruly gentleman that scoffed so visibly upon the groups entrance. Again, the other men at his table break out in laughter, bolstered by his brazen demeanor but not confident enough themselves to make eye-contact with Jeremiah.

She slides Darrens coin into her other palm, winks at him, then glides to the other end of the wooden countertop where the fourth newcomer is beckoning her.

Edward Fletcher "If you could trade these for four dollars in scrip, I would be most grateful." then "The last I would trade for some information, if you have it."

The woman narrows her eyes, studying Edward for a minute before the thin smirk begins to relax into something more genuine. She slides the bills into her pocket, then glides back to the center of the bar without saying anything. When she returns a few seconds later she slides a few bills and twenty coins in his direction. All are quite simple in design, with 'Abbot Coal Company' printed or pressed upon them. "Twenty of these to the bill." she explains with a wink.

She leans over the counter, resting on her elbows, creating a barrier between Edward and the others as she speaks with him. Edward catches hints of her perfume mingled with the smell of alcohol on her hands, but it's a welcome change to the body odor that seems to fill the establishment. "Well, you've made it worth my while." She says with a sigh. "What information might y'be lookin' for?" She seems relaxed, but continues to cast her eyes around the room watching for others that might need a drink, or a swift boot out the door.

[orcbane]

Delth glanced around the room. He'd heard stories of more unpleasant places, but this was the meanest crowd his limited experience had brought him to. He wondered, if these were the townsfolk that the mayor wanted to shield from trouble, what must the trouble be like?

Delth gets up and heads to the table with the loud man. "Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt. Ahem. Do any of you know where I would find Mayor Wyatt?"

[TheMystic]

"Well now my dear" Fletcher begins, scooping the coins into an empty section of his wallet and slotting the bills beside them. The local currency should smooth our interactions with any other local businessfolk somewhat "A person in your position tends to have a fair view on the state of affairs in a town. I'd like to know what Mr. Abbot thinks of Mayor Wyatt's requesting outside aid, if you've heard something to that effect."

[kdtompos]

The Table Near the Entrance Delth "Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt. Ahem. Do any of you know where I would find Mayor Wyatt?" The two other men at the table, shocked silent by the straightforward approach, bury their gazes in their drinks. One tries to suppress a cough as he ignores the young man. The largest, however, is only halted momentarily in his mocking. He too seemed to be caught off guard, but reacts swiftly. "Maybe I'm him," the man says, cocking his head to the side and pushing his chair back, squeeking across the wooden floor. Then slowly rising to his feet: "And I just law'd a... a law. That you and your friends should get the hell out of our bar." The man's clearly an idiot, but a large idiot as he stands almost a head above Delth. His two friends seem to have regained their own machismo and are shifting in their chairs to face the young gunman.   Dice Roll: 1d20-1 (11)-1 Total = 10 OOC: This is simply to guage the effectiveness of his demeanor.

At the Bar The bartender narrows her eyes at Mr. Fletcher, studying him again when he mentions Mr. Abbot. "I don't suppose he knows about it." She finally says, seemingly confused as to why Mr. Abbot would even be involved. "To be honest, can't say I've heard of any need for you boys to be here either. Nothin' going on in this town that we can't handle ourselves." At the commotion behind her, the bartender turns to see the large man rising near the entrance. Still leaning across the bar, she turns back to Edward. With eyebrows raised she looks at the businessman with a stern look of apprehension. "But if you're lookin' for advice, I'd recommend you get your friend away from there. If he is indeed with you. Jed there's too dumb to know better than to mess with y'all."

[Surgate]

Jeremiah set his water down when the largest of the miners towered over the young gunslinger. He approached and stood side to side with Delth, staring up, Jed's reflection in the Widowman's goggles. Behind them his eyes stared deep at the drunkard.

"I do not recognize your law." He popped his neck and removed his hands from behind his back, now at his sides.

"It is ill-advised to enforce it. As a Federal Agent I will be forced to pacify you if you insist"

Intimidate:

Dice Roll:

1d20-2

(17)-2

Total = 15

[austarrowsplitter]

Darren, beer in hand, stepped over to where trouble was brewing. He stood behind Delth and Jeremiah, towering over them both and likely the drunken heckler, growling, "We ain't leavin', not yet. So sit your drunk ass down, and shut your gorram mouth before I get angry. Because trust me, little man, you don't want to get me angry."

Dice Intimidate:

1d20+5

(9)+5

Total = 14

[orcbane]

Delth's hand rests easily; thumb just barely touching the handle of the six-piece at his side. As his new associates come to back him up, he finds himself smack-dab in the middle of a 6-man macho-off. Well, that intensified rather quickly. He looks the big man in the eyes, without glancing back to his fellows, and calmly speaks.

"Well, no reason to start breaking ruffians, if they're not the ones that are supposed to be broken. Sorry to have disturbed your drink, Mr. Mayor."

He then turns to Darren and Jeremiah, trying to quietly communicate that a withdrawl back to their bar-seats would be best.

[TheMystic]

"Just one last question then, do you know where I could find Mister's Abbot and Wyatt"