Deadlands - Part 5: Old Man Winter

Tonight sees the introduction of a new party member:

Rob
-- Bean Bagsmacker, a old geezer who dabbles in both mad science and the occassional pretty lady; he comes armed with a projectile launching mechanism that currently fires "junk whackers", his personal namesake

"The next morning, the party prepares for departure, meeting Percival Van Reuken at the train station. Both Dr. Sanders and Gizelle are still too ill to continue on so, with a fond farewell, the party leaves them behind. At the station, Percival walks up to them accompanied by an old man by the name of Bean Bagsmacker. Telling them that Bean will also be joining their treasure hunt, the party boards the train and sets out for Dodge City, Kansas.

Percival provides the party with the essential details of the state of Kansas and Dodge City. Since the Civil War is still being fought, having devolved into a pseudo-Cold War between the North and the South, Kansas is considered a battleground state, earning it the name "Bloody Kansas". Dodge City likewise suffers from the tension of the surrounding area, more so in fact due to tenuous relations with the Indian tribes in the area. To limit outbursts of violence, the two town leaders, Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp, have a strict gun law in affect; essentially, no working firearms are allowed in town without the express permission of the law. Additionally, a trade in buffalo skin has recently caused further trouble with the local natives, who see the buffalo as a sacred creature.

As Percival talks, Bean notices Lola and, attracted by her good looks, begins to coyly banter with her. The next morning, the train arrives at the Dodge City Station. Most of the town lies to the North of the tracks, with a large "Union Blue" sign atop the nearest building. Several Union soldiers patrol the north side of the tracks, warily watching the rednecks and country hicks who patrol the southern side. The sign "Black River" hangs across the tracks from the "Union Blue".

As the party enters the town, several horsemen ride up, led by the famous Wyatt Earp. Flashing his sheriff's badge, Earp informs the party of Dodge City's gun law and asks that all firearms be turned over. Individual receipts will be issued for each weapon and, upon delivery of receipt, the weapons will be returned when the party leaves. Alexander Baron, glad he is allowed to keep his saber, hands over his gun, as does Lola McGill. When Dr. Magnus' turn comes up, he reluctantly turns over his flamethrower but shows his still unfinished tripple-barrel shotgun to Earp. Lola successfully bluffs Earp, convincing him it is not a useful weapon; Magnus is grateful and promises to repay Lola in kind. Nicholas de Wolfwood turns over his pistols but is able to keep his artillery unit, provided the ammo is also turned in. Bean finishes the round by handing over his shotgun and "junk whacker" ammo, and the party is allowed to enter town. B

efore Earp heads out, he asks them if they know of an Alexander Baron, who is wanted in relation to some "shady business". The party, excluding Bean, is surprised but do not react; Baron expresses concern and promises that he will personally keep an eye out for the man. Earp thanks him and departs with his posse. Baron is quick to introduce himself to Bean under a different name.

However, not more than a minute passes after Earp and his crew ride off before several gunshots are heard and a big bearded man walks down main street. Sporting a cowboy hat and traditional gunslinger garb, the big man loudly introduces himself as Rocky Raccoon. The townfolk edge away, obviously nervous and wary of Raccoon. Lola calms the raucous man down and he, goodheartedly, provides the party with a map of town. Pointing out the various dance halls, general stores, specialty shops, inns, bars, and houses of worship, he gives the party a brief introduction to Dodge City.

Happy to have met the party, he heads out, but not before they notice his brilliant necklace, which sports an image of a pretty young lady apparently holding a stack of poker chips. Wolfwood is the only one to notice what appears to be a deck of cards in Raccoon's back pocket. Both Baron and Lola are suspicious of Rocky Raccoon but decide to not pursue him. Percival heads to the Dodge House, the local inn, to procure lodging and agrees to meet the party back by the train station at 3pm. Baron turns to Bean and begins to ask more probbing questions about the man before a shrill call sounds from the station.

The party turns to find Denise Merrit, plucky journalist for the Tombstone Epitaph, snapping pictures and happily gushing about her excitement at once again being able to chronicle the adventures of the party. Having thought they had managed to ditch her behind in Boulder, both Baron and Magnus are prepared to go after her for the last time when Wolfwood suddenly calls out, "She's got a gun!!". Almost immediately, half a dozen law men appear, armed and aiming at Denise, who is suddenly aware of her predicament. Conveniently mistaking her camera for a weapon, the police cuff her and immediately lead her away despite her protests, no questions asked.

Baron admits he didn't think that would work so well, before the party decides to split up to explore the town. Lola starts by questioning the townsfolk who hid when Raccoon appeared and she finds out that he's a rather rambunctious fellow, who's only really been in town about a month. She and Bean then head to Svenburg & Bigsby's Buffalo Imporium, as Lola is keen on purchasing some buffalo clothing.

Wolfwood immediately heads to the local doctor's, still suffering from the wounds procurred during the last adventure and from Baron's "terrible swift sword". The doctor admits that his wounds have already started to heal and he can't do much to speed the process. However, he has been authorized to sell special medical elixirs, courtesy of Smith & Robard's. Wolfwood is able to haggle down the price and manages to procure some medical potions.

Bean and Lola have by this time reached Svenburg & Bigsby's Buffalo Imporium, only to find the proprietor fast asleep on the porch outside the store, clutching an open whisky bottle. The fat, bald man stirs as the two contemplate on whether it is worth it to try and swipe some clothing from the store. However, before they can act, the shirtless man awakes and, seeing customers, asks what they're interested in. Lola reveals she's interested in their rumored "bullet proof" vests. As the proprietor reveals, they really aren't bullet proof, but they do offer increased protection from weapons, being made with a special metallic plate sewn into the double-sided buffalo skin. Bean, interested in duplicating the process for his own purposes, tries to question the proprietor as to how to make one of these vests, but the proprietor only reveals that Gunther, the proprietor of the nearby Wright-Beverly & Company store, is the only one who knows. Lola attempts to bargain with the proprietor but he is put off by her initial low bid and refuses to sell her anything, politely asking them to leave.

During all of this, Magnus and Baron have made their way to Wright-Beverly & Company in pursuit of whatever goods they can find. As they round the corner, they are just in time to see a middle-aged man get launched from the entrance of the Wright-Beverly & Company store by what appears to be a large mechanical man. Behind this automaton is a mustached German, berating the hapless man and commanding him to never come back. The man gets up and, brushing himself off, begins to loudly protest the "abomination", launching into a sermon on the evils of mad science and the demonic supernatural. He turns, seeing Magnus and Baron, and tries to convince them of what he's saying. Magnus is enamored with the automaton, admiring it as a wonderful piece of craftsmanship, and says as much to the man, who almost launches into an apoplectic fit, lumping Magnus in with his other cries of evil sorcery. As Magnus and the man get into a shouting match, a young man, almost a teenager, dressed in farmer's clothing runs up and tries to calm the man down. The boy introduces himself as Tim Donner and the middle-aged man as Reverend Tobias Franklin. The boy calms the Reverend and manages to distract him long enough for Magnus and Baron to enter the store.

They are greated by the automaton. It tries to speak but its words are almost unintelligible; however, it is able to provide both men with a steaming cup of fresh coffee. Magnus, even more impressed, heartily thanks the automaton as Baron moves to the counter to talk with Gunther. Baron, having heard of the store's reputation as a sort of "jack-of-all-trades" when it comes to variety of goods, doesn't beat around the bush, simply asking if Gunther carries opium. Gunther gestures for Baron to be quite and shows him his supply. Baron tries to lower Gunther's price but Gunther refuses; Baron is forced to hand over the full amount for his resupply.

As Baron continues to browse, Magnus steps up and praises Gunther for the handiwork of his automaton servant. Gunther is happy to talk about it, but when Magnus asks to see possible blueprints, Gunther is only able to say that the automaton was built while Gunther worked for Hellstromme Industries, a competing business. Magnus understands and asks Gunther if he has anything "special" that he wouldn't ordinarily show a customer. Gunther smiles and brings out a tray holding three special types of bullets: black armor piercing rounds, silver ghost steel bullets, and blood-red phosphoric bullets. The armor piercing rounds are capable of punching through more armor then the normal round, trading off damage dealt. The ghost steel bullets simply are a stronger make of bullet and do more damage. The phosphoric bullet is composed partly of phosphorus and, when used correctly, will burst into flame when fired, causing additional damage to the target. Not willing to necessarily fork over more cash, Magnus proposes a trade. He happily explains his electric slug invention, explaining its effects. Gunther, suitably impressed, agrees to trade a copy of the phosphoric bullets blueprint for Magnus's electric bullets blueprint. Furthermore, Magnus and Gunther exchange three rounds of each. Satisfied, Magnus leaves.

As Magnus and Baron depart Wright-Beverly & Company, they see Bean and Lola approaching. When Franklin, who is still positioned outside the store, finds out Bean is fascinated by the automaton, he verbally attacks him, leading to yet another argument. Donner, realizing Franklin could get into serious trouble, is able to separate him from Bean and leads him away down the street, back to his church. Bean, still very interested in the bullet proof vest, enters the store, while Lola, Baron, and Magnus wait outside.

After some bantering, Bean is able to trade his projectile launcher design for that of the bullet proof vest, finding out the process used to create the special alloy for the metal plate. Bean leaves and the group heads back to the train station. Along the way, Bean and Baron get into an argument, as Baron is not to be outdone by a "crotchety old geezer", constantly mixing up his name and cleverly insulting him. Bean will have none of it, but before anything serious happens, they reach the station.

Percival, Wolfwood, Donner, and a fourth red-shirted ranch hand are there, with a wagon and two horses ready to depart. As the party prepares to depart, they exchange their receipts for their weapons, once again armed. Donner turns out to be a skilled driver, and Percival explains that they're are going to follow an old cattle trail that is not very frequented, in hopes of finding some landmarks that will help them get their bearing on the treasure.

As the party settles in, Percival takes out his deck of cards and nervously shuffles them while reading the Lady Luck Casino Travel Guide. At that point, several of the party notice that Percival's necklace is the same as Rocky Raccoon's. Baron and Bean discuss this amongst themselves before they and Lola ask Percival about it. Percival, somewhat surprised, calmly denies their suspicions that he and Raccoon are connected, insisting his necklace is a family heirloom.

As the wagon travels further into the plains, Bean, Lola, and Magnus, all sitting by windows, notice clouds of dust rising from the plains, seemingly moving towards them. Eventually, they're able to see what appear to be tumbleweeds rolling in the wind. What's eerie is that they seem to be tracking the cart, and they're getting closer.

The party is able to see several tumbleweeds that are more dense then the others, with a red tint. These red tumbleweeds also glisten, as if moist. They move in and soon surround the wagon, rolling along peacefully in the wind. Several get close to the back opening of the wagon and the red-shirted ranch hand foolishly reaches out to examine one. Almost instantaneously, several of the tumbleweeds leap up into the air. The closest ones shift their branches, revealing a clustered center sporting a fanged mouth. The weeds sink their fangs into the man's arm, and viciously yank him out of the cart before he can say a word. The party is dumbfounded as the wagon continues on, listening to the poor ranch hand scream as he is devoured.

Readying for combat, the party immediately arms themselves. Magnus takes out his flamethrower and moves to take the now dead ranch hand's position at the back of the wagon, unleashing fire on one of the weeds directly behind the wagon. Lola, constant sharpshooter, aims and is able to blow away the core of another weed off to the wagon's right. Baron again wants to jump out and take the weeds on head-to-head but everyone convinces him, yet again, that that would be a very bad idea. He shoots at one instead but misses. Magnus, noticing the effectiveness of gunfire, swaps his flamethrower for his shotgun (still being upgraded) and manages to damage the weed next to the one on fire. Lola kills the weed Baron missed but another immediately takes its place, leaping up to attack Baron on the wagon's right side. It misses as another muffs its attack on Lola. As the burning weed expires, yet another takes its place, moving in and attacking Magnus. The thorns on the weed do damage, but nothing significant. Magnus wipes away the blood from multiple scratches as another attacks Wolfwood.

Three more weeds move in next to the cart but Baron retaliates with his saber, again missing. Magnus, loading up the buckshot, continues to fire. Both Lola and Magnus dodge persistent attacks as the weeds try to climb the sides of the wagon, failing abysmally. A cloud of dust signals the approach of more weeds as the party fights on. Magnus, sick of the limited firepower of a single shotgun, re-arms his flamethrower and manages to set four of the incoming weeds on the wagon's left on fire.

Bean steps up and manages to get a shot off, killing a weed on the wagon's right. Baron and Lola also attack, with saber and pistol respectively, dealing damage as Bean reloads and fires again. Magnus cheerfully watches as the weeds on fire burn away; he takes the time to torch two more incoming. One of the eerie red weeds moves in to attack the horses, demonstrating a disturbing level of intelligence for a carnivorous plant, but Lola kills it before it can "derail" the wagon.

Wolfwood follows Lola's lead and fires twice, killing both targets. Bean, Lola, and Wolfwood form a deadly trio as they take turns firing at the weeds surrounding the wagon. A sudden jolt sends the party bouncing around the cabin; during the commotion, Lola collides with Wolfwood, sending him flying out the wagon window. Magnus, unsure if Lola did this on purpose, moves to help Wolfwood, finding him hanging on for dear life to an outer railing. Judging he's capable of saving himself, Magnus instead torches more weeds.

At this time, one weed is finally able to climb up the wagon and almost into Donner's lap. He doesn't hesitate and proves his capability by withdrawing a rifle and blowing it away at point blank range. Another red weed tries to follow its ill-fated companion but Baron shoves it back, causing it to fall and get trampled under the wagon wheels and horse hooves. Meanwhile, Wolfwood is clinging to the wagon's left side, pulling himself up with injured arms as two weeds begin to attack him. Lola, still with Bean on the wagon's right side, continues to dodge attacks while firing with pinpoint accuracy. Another wagon jolt sends Bean's head out the window, right in range of a weed. It instantly leaps up and attaches itself to Bean's head, gnawing at his sparse hair. Enraged, Bean yanks it off and throws it out, but before he can retaliate with bullets, another wagon jolt sends him flying off balance out the same opening Wolfwood just climbed in from. Lola is also thrown off, smashing into Wolfwood again, also forcing him out the opening.

With two party members hanging on for dear life, the party moves in to help. Magnus, trying to prevent Wolfwood and Bean from being attacked, tries to torch the next wave of weeds. However, the red ones won't burn, even if they get the full force of the flamethrower. Looking at his arms, Magnus realizes that the weeds feed on blood and that the red ones are engorged with it, causing them to almost sweat blood, keeping them moist and resistant to fire.

Percival, during this time, has been hunkered down near the back of the wagon; however, a weed spots him and attacks. But before it can even get close, it suddenly erupts into a massive fireball, quickly dying. The party is shocked but cannot stop to consider what just happened. More weeds attack, making swipes at Lola, Baron, and Bean. Wolfwood manages to get a shot off while Lola and Baron try to help him back up. Once Wolfwood's out of harms way, Bean is able to follow, as the opening is really only big enough for one man.

More weeds try to climb in as Donner manages the horses while taking pot shots at nearby weeds. As more and more weeds appear, a few make it on the wagon, but don't last long enough to do any damage as the party begins to coordinate, efficiently blowing their enemies to bits. As more burning weeds die, a sudden wave of red weeds appears from behind. As three get on the cart near Percival, a sudden vortex of wind grabs them and flings them back out. Wolfwood is hunkered in the center of the cart, trying to regain his breath as the others continue to ward off the remaining weeds.

Finally, Donner and the horses begin to pull the wagon ahead of the weeds. As the last few nearby weeds fall behind, the party takes a collective breath. Bean, eager for revenge, withdraws a stick of dynamite, lights it and flings it back at the churning mass of pursuing weeds.

To be continued.......