Hehe, forgot to add;

wat do?

>>19684953
Well we aren't going to live much longer if we don't get some supplies.

How are we doing on funds? What are we armed with? Do we have a bitching duster and hat?

Head into town, we should find a place to stay at least for a little bit, a general store to resupply and somewhere like a tavern to get up to date on the local gossip, rumors and information.

>>19685040
You've got around $20 on you, with a further $800 in the bank.

Of course you have a bitching duster and hat combo, what kind of good cowboy wouldn't? You're also armed with an 1873 Single Action Revolver.

The town is pretty small, only around 350 people live here, so you can see all the stores from the main street. You spot the sign for the General Store and head on in.

>>19685087
What's inside the general store? Can we get any water or should we be on the lookout for a saloon?

>>19685104
You look around the Store. You can see various dried meats in jars, a selection of smokables on the front desk and behind them, a small, portly man wearing gold rimmed spectacles.

You noticed a well in the town just before you entered the store, you'll be able to fill your waterskins there.

"We don't get many people looking to actually BUY goods 'round here" you hear the owner say.

>>19685087
Supplies. We need rations, we can fill the waterskins elsewhere. If we don't have rope get some, if we have rope get more. If we are missing any parts of a standard survival gear pack we should pick them up. Fire starting equipment, compass, map of the local area if we can find one, we already should have a good solid knife, mirror for signaling at a distance, basic first aid stuff.

>>19685127
I see, trouble with the local brigands?

>>19685127
"Well you've got one now. Fill my bags up with rations. Twenty dollars worth."

>>19685132
>>19685134

"Well you've got one now". Your throat was much dryer than you thought and your words come out as a husky growl.

You tell the man what you need; rations, rope and a cigar or two for later. The food here is cheap, they must have a lot of cattle around.

A few minutes later your bags are filled with beef jerky and various assorted meats, the total comes to $5.

"Been having trouble 'round here?"

The man nods at you, "Some gang's been coming round town lately, nothing serious so far, just causing a lot of trouble."

>>19685134
>Just as a heads up, $20 is about a months wages for 1885.

>>19685182
This gang have a name shopkeep?

They keep a regular schedule? How long they been here? How many of them are there, more or less?

>>19685182
Inquire if it happens to be the Hunter Boys

>>19685182
"You got a name fer this gang? Might be some of the boys I'm lookin' for."

>>19685208
>>19685210

"What did they look like?"

The man looks down at his feet, it seems like he's been hit hardest by the gang. "They didn't really have any identification, they just come in, quick as a bat out of hell, rob everything and then leave"

"...Now that I think about it, they all seemed to wear...something, teeth..or fur, just animal parts 'round themselves."

That cold feeling happens to your stomach as you remember what happened to your family.

"Yeah" you mutter, "sounds like them."

You start to head out towards the door before you hear the man start up again.

"Um..they haven't been in a while, if I were you i'd get outta town quick before they show up again!"

You pause on the doorway for a second or two before heading back onto the main street.

>>19685231
Well it looks like we've got a group of scumbags to kill. Though I assume we're a good hand with a pistol, taking on 20 guys in a shootout is a bad way to keep on breathing.

We should find the local law enforcement, round up something like a militia and bait the trap for them, they come here expecting easy pickings and all they'll get is some hot lead.

>>19685231
Let's wait by the well. Fill up our skins and get ready for their eventual arrival.

>>19685249
You see a small, but very solid building at the edge of town. You can make out the word 'Prison' on the door.

You walk down the main street, everything's deathly quiet, you can tell people are scared and your arrival here isn't helping.

Your duster drags along the ground slightly as you make your way to the Prison. You bang your knuckles solidly against the wood.

A voice comes from within. "Waddya want?"

"I hear you've got a problem with the Hunter boys." There's silence for a while, eventually the door opens a fraction and you can see someone peering out.

"That makes two of us I guess." The man behind the door disappears for a second, you can hear the sound of more bolts being unlocked and the door swings open.

"Let me guess, you've got a 'score to settle'?" You see the Sheriff badge on the mans chest. "Join the club." The Sheriff sits down on a rickety chair at his desk.

>>19685284
I'm going to be blunt Sheriff, I want every single member of the Hunter boys to die, but 1 pistol against 20 isn't my idea of good odds.

How many guns do we have available in the town and how many people in the town can shoot?

>>19685284
What's yer name Sheriff?

I am going to put them down sheriff. Now you can stand with me or stay the hell out of my way

>>19685304
>Nice speech

The Sheriff looks at you before standing up. "What's your name son?"

"Karl Butler, the Hunter boys took everything that was dear to me."

"Well you see Karl, Vindication was a peaceful town, everyone here has come from different walks of life and tried to settle down." The Sheriff paces around his office nervously. "If we were to do anything about the Hunter boys, none of us would make it out alive."

"The Hunter's are just a small group, criminals mostly, that belongs to a much, much bigger group of guys, and their leader, well, something ain't quite right 'bout him"

"But if you wanna go get yourself killed trying to exact justice, and by God i'd like to see it happen, you could go 'round recruitin' people. I'm sure you've met Johnson in the General Store, he used to be a crack shot with a rifle, but his eyesight started playin' up and he hasn't been able to hit anything since."

"Of course, I can use a gun, but 2 against 20 isn't much better than 1 against 20, but if you can get enough people to give us a chance, then i'll think about joinin' ya."

"Much obliged Sheriff" You start to head out towards the door, looking for able bodies and steady hands.

"The name's Foster" the Sheriff tells you.

You turn around and tip your hat slightly before heading back out into town.

>>19685362
Ok. There are two places that ought to be good for gathering information on the people of the town, who can shoot, who has had a violent background, that sort of thing. The Church and the local taverns/inns/saloons.

Let's start with the Church, talk to the preacher there, people talk to priests about a lot of things, both in confession and in general conversation, he should be able to point out who we are likely to be able to pull in for this and who has enough guns to equip everyone if not everyone has their own.

>>19685395

You walk towards the eastern part of town. There's a church on a small hill, they always seem to be on hills you think to yourself.

The picket fence is falling apart and most of the tombstones are in ruins but the Church itself it in pretty good shape. The doors are open and you can tell no-ones inside, however you start to hear a sound coming from the side of thee Church.

You walk around and see an elderly man, dressed in black, digging a grave. He stops every few swings of the shovel to catch his breath.

You head over and grab the spare shovel and start helping. The old man notices you but doesn't look away from what he's doing.

It's evident to you that the elderly man isn't going to start conversation so you decide to do it for him.

"I need help." You don't stop digging as the words leave your lips.

"Yep, just about everyone does these days" The man stands up, you notice the dog collar around his neck, it looks like he runs this place all by himself.

"Come on" He gestures towards the Church and scrambles out of the shallow hole the two of you have made.

You both make your way into the Church and he disappears into a makeshift confessional booth. You disappear into the other half.

>>19685395

Church is probably the best place to start without drawing too much attention

>>19685447
Father, I have committed the sin of Wrath.

The men who killed my family and destroyed everything I held dear have been attacking this town, and I'm not sure if I'm after vengeance or justice right now, I don't even know where the line between them is.

But regardless of my motives this town doesn't deserve to suffer from the Hunter boys any longer. No one does.

So I'm asking you Father, who in this town can I ask to stand by me when they come back to town.

>>19685447

As you sit in the booth you can hear the Pastor breathing heavily.

"It's about the Hunter boys..I need to stop them"

The Reverend looks your way and all emotion leaves his face. "You listen here, you kill one Hunter, the whole gang will be on you, and if you managed to kill ALL of them, well, you don't want to know"

"I'll take the punishment, I just need to get help taking down the gang in the first place."

The Pastor sighs and places his hands between his knees. "As much as I hate violence, I know your reasons are sound."

"Sheriff Foster can help, Johnson over in the Store would be a great help if you could get him back to old tricks. There's a couple of lads staying in the hotel that had their cattle stolen, there's a few prospectors in the Saloon that have had some run-ins with the boys. You'd have to use your imagination to find anyone else."

>>19685499
>Blast, wish i'd waited for this response before typing stuff out. From now on, i'll do one post and then i'll have your response, unless I do a 1/2 or 1/3 thing at the end.

>>19685530
It's cool, just put >cont. or 1/2 or something like that at the end.

>>19685519
Well, we'll be going after all of them, but some of them will only want to join up if we've already gotten people, I think the prospectors will be the easiest to convince so we should start there.

>>19685544

"Thankyou Father." You open the door of the booth and leave the Church. You don't hear the old man leave at all.

It's about 3:30 in the afternoon, you pick out a piece of jerky and take a bite as you walk into the Saloon.

You walk in pretty much un-noticed, everyone else is occupied. There's a few people at the bar, one man in the corner and a table full of full-bearded, britches-wearing miners.

There's a gap in between two of them, you pull a chair and sit down, placing your hands on the table.

All five of the men stare at you, the smell of alcohol is almost overpowering. "Heard you fella's have had some trouble recently." You try to keep your voice down so that no one else will hear.

"Yer damn right we had some trouble" One of the miners speaks up "God damn Hunter boys made of with some of our claim"

"Well...I'm here to try and remedy that" You look around the faces of the men sitting at the table. Their eyes light up at the idea of revenge.

They all turn and mutter towards one another. "Well stranger, that sounds like a mighty fine idea, me and me pals here are all for it."

"How are you with weapons?" You ask the table in general.

"Oh we're pretty good with rifles, protecting a claim'll do that to a man, we also got some pretty strong ground levelling 'equipment', if ya know what I mean!"

"I'll expect your help when this comes together." You leave the table and hear the miners instantly start muttering amongst themselves again.

>>19685605
We have explosives, I am a very very happy man.

The sound alone will spook the ever living hell out of their horses, not to mention the damage from exploding it under them.

We'll want to lure them into a corridor if at all possible, line the killing zone with explosives and have men up above with rifles, catch them in a cross fire while their horses and the men panic due to the explosions.

Next the cow fellows at the Hotel and finally we'll see if we can rope Johnson in for one last fight.

We'll still be outnumbered but we'll have the element of surprise and a defensive position in our favor.

>>19685642
The Saloon seems like a nice enough place, you'll definitely be coming back here for a drink later.

Across the main street is the hotel, within stumbling distance from the Saloon.

You walk in and notice a young, blonde woman behind the front desk.

You enquire as to the whereabouts of the ranchers, she points towards another room.

Heading through the building you can see the 4 men packing up their gear.

"Before you leave, wouldn't you like a chance of revenge?" The ranchers weren't even aware of your presence before you started speaking, so you startle them a little.

One of them walks up to you and eyes you up, "The Hunters?" You nod. The man smiles and puts down his bags, he turns towards the rest of the group.

"Looks like we'll be staying here a little longer. By the way, if you don't mind me asking, what's your reason for wantin' ta get the Hunter boys?" One of his eyebrows raises as he asks you this.

"It's personal...much more personal than some cows" You tell him, you maintain eye contact and the man keeps his.

"Well, tell us when you need us, we've got our own weapons covered." He pats his hand on his hips and reveals two revolvers hidden beneath a coat.

"Shouldn't be too long now."

>>19685738
Excellent.

So we've got 5 riflemen, 6 is we can pull up Johnson.

I'm guessing these ranchers have revolvers, so with us, the ranchers and Sheriff Foster that's 6 folks with pistols.

We also have explosives, beautiful beautiful explosives.

We'll probably have the pistol folk on the ground to cut off any escape and the riflemen up on the second floor or roof of buildings.

We lure them into a corridor with explosives, they're primarily on one end to take out the tail end of the Hunters and to also break up the land and leave enough scattered bodies that retreating in that direction becomes near impossible. The riflemen open fire from above using cover and the men with pistols cover the remaining exit they can take, if we can take some wagons and fill them with sandbags to wheel into position for cover for the pistol men that'd be even better.

For now head to the general store and see if we can enlist Johnson.

>>19685781
>Remember those tactics. I'll probably forget.

You head back to the General Store to see if you can get another steady hand to help. You can see Johnson through the windows, he's taking stock. You open the door and the little bell sounds off, Johnson hurriedly puts his spectacles back on after trying to polish them.

He blinks a few times, "Ah you again, welcome back. Uh...nothing wrong with the food is there?"

You shake your head. Johnson lets out a sigh of relief, "Well what can I help you with?" He turns to carry on taking stock.

"I need another gun to kill the Hunter boys" You tell him. Johnson takes his spectacles off and places them on the desk, along with his stock list. He pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Listen, I gave that up a long time ago..." He mutters towards you. You interrupt, "The Pastor tells me you're the best shot in this place, if you can't fire a gun at least get the rest of the people into fighting shape."

He looks around the shop. "They've taken a lot of things from here you know.."

"I plan on looting them afterwards and returning everyones money" You say blankly. Johnsons hands start to shake as he places his glasses back on. "Ok....Ok i'll try to help out."

"Thanks Johnson, i'll be in touch."

You leave the General Store and notice that people are moving around more freely than when you first arrived. Word must have gotten around pretty quickly.

>>19685883
So far so good, get back to the Sheriff, tell him that if he comes with us we'll have a dozen guns against them. Add the homefield advantage, explosives, and the fact that these bandits don't expect anyone to fight back we ought to be able to spring a trap on them that will at the very least drive them off if not kill every last one of the scum.

>>19685920
All this walking back and forth is getting on your nerves.

You head into the Prison, where the Sheriff is. "Well, how'd it go?" He asks you. "We've got a dozen good men on ourside, the prospectors, the ranchers and Johnson's gonna help as best he can." You reply.

The Sheriff is taken aback that you've gathered so many people in such a short time. "You've done pretty good today, i'll send a few telegraphs round, see if I can't pick up some more people."

"I'd appreciate that Sheriff," You look towards him, "We'll need all the help we can get to take these bastards down."

The Sheriff sits down at his desk, ready to send some messages via morse code, "I'll send a general warning to one of the towns nearby, they usually get hit a day before we do so that'll be our early warning system."

You leave the Prison, the Sun is slowly going down towards the Horizon, you guess it's probably about 5:45.

>>19685953
Thank you Sheriff.

Well I think we're done with most of our walking for the day, head to the saloon and get some drinking and if they have it available some dinner, if they don't we should grab a bite to eat somewhere before we start drinking.

Socialize, drink, if there are any pretty women about flirt.

>>19685967
You head into the Saloon. The prospectors have disappeared, probably going to stockpile their explosives. One man is quietly playing the piano, there's a few men at the bar and someone sitting in the corner.

You head over to the bar tap your coins on the counter, a barmaid comes out from the side room.

"What can I get ya hun'?" She says, her eyelashes fluttering as fast as her heartbeat. "Bottle and a beer" you reply. "Coming right up stranger"

After a few seconds you have a glass of cold beer, a bottle of whisky and a shot glass in front of you. You place down one of your coins and tell her to keep the change.

She goes to the till and comes back to you, obviously intrigued by your appearance in town. "I hear you'r fixin' ta hurt the Hunter boys?"

Everyone is now silent. The men at the bar have turned their heads towards you, the piano player has stopped completely.

"That's right ma'am." Everyone is speechless as you head over to a table and get to work on your drink. After a little while the background noise becomes louder and everything gets back to normal.

1/2

>>19686022
Pouring the whisky into the shot glass, you hear a shuffling to your left. You turn your head and notice a man sitting in the corner and looking down, with a large hat covering his eyes.

As you stare over at him, he moves his glass out of the way and pushes the chair opposite him out using his foot. He gestures for you to come over.

Looking around the Saloon, no one else has noticed the man do anything. You slowly make your way over with your drink and sit down.

The man raises his head sharply, the large rimmed hat still keeping a lot of his features in shadow, but you can see that his eyes are completely white.

A cracked voice emanates from the mans mouth. "If you want to kill the Hunter boys, you're going to end up dealing with the rest of the group." He coughs loudly and takes a gulp of his beer. "I'm afraid you're going to need more than a few guns to survive."

He brings his hands onto the table, his overcoat is tattered beyond belief, you can clearly see up to his forearms. It takes you a while register what you're seeing, it looks like his hands are filthy, but you can make out tens of tattoos along his forearms, biblical passages, strange symbols and mystic charms from the Orient.

He reaches into his pockets and pulls out a few coins. They are made of silver and engraved with Latin scripture. "When all is lost, and you need help..." He stops talking and taps the writing on the coins. You can't make it out at the moment, everything seems a bit fuzzy.

The man gets up and heads out of the Saloon, despite being blind he doesn't have a cane or stick. You look out the window but the man turns a corner and you lose sight of him.

You place the coins in your pocket and head back to your table, a little shaken, but that's what the whisky's for.

2/2

Sorry that took so long, 4chan wasn't letting me post.

>>19686181
Damn it, ignore the crappy grammar in that post.

>while TO register
>DOZENS of tattoos (tens?)

>>19686181
Well isn't that interesting.

Note, do not read what they say out loud, it might trigger them too early. Though we should read them in the morning light and see what they say as we seem to be having difficulty making it all out right now, maybe its one of those things where it all sharpens up when its meant to.

For now continue our drinking, get some grub and continue to be charming to the barmaid.

Don't drink too much, we probably have work to do in the morning getting this town ready for an assault.

>>19684953
You start drinking in silence, trying to figure out a plan to kill the Hunters. The barmaid comes over to your table with a plate of something.

"You looked hungry, so I thought i'd rustle something up" She holds the plate out towards you, it's some kind of thick, chili-like substance with a few slices of bread on the side.

"Thanks very much," You start to reach into your pocket to pay for the meal before she stops you. "I know what you're doing down here, and...well...we appreciate it, this is on the house."

You look down and nod slightly, you look the barmaid back in the eyes and thank her. She smiles and walks off leaving you to eat your meal.

You've got a days warning for the next Hunters attack, so you'd better start getting ready in the morning.

You finish your meal and your drinks and head across the street, towards the hotel. The sun is just starting to set and the whole town is bathed in a dusky, orange glow.

"Karl Butler!" You hear someone shout as you cross the street. You turn to your left to face the man and realise he's standing in a dueling pose.

"I've heard about what you're fixing to do with my boys" He shouts across at you, you can make out various furs dangling from his belt. "And i'm here to make sure that never happens."

You see him make a jerky movement, he's going for his gun. You act on impulse and go for yours as well...

>Roll 1d20

rolled 10 = 10

>>19684953

rolled 16 = 16

>>19686307
Well, I think we ought to shoot this varmint in the face. I'm glad we didn't drink all that much.

>>19684953
He's pretty quick, but you're that little bit quicker, even after a few drinks.

The crack of gunfire echoes throughout the town, the Hunter falls to the ground clutching his chest.

You walk over and stand over him. "You...don't know....what you're dealing with" He says through gritted teeth. "You're quick, but....Troy....is faster than you'd believe."

He coughs out one last glob of blood before dying in the dirt. You've noticed a few people have come out and are watching you.

You see Johnson, the Sheriff, the prospectors and the ranchers, along with 20 other townsfolk.

They all look down at the dead Hunter and then look up at you. "We don't have a lot of time before they come back" You tell them, "Even less now that'd we've spilt first blood."

"We reconvene in the morning, everyone who wants in, better be up at dawn."

You head into the hotel and pay for a room for the night. You walk into the room and sit down on the bed.

>>19686362
I think i'll leave it there for today.

I didn't get a lot of attention :( so thanks to the anons that participated.

I'll do the next part, probably Tuesday, around 6pm GMT, the next one will probably be the last one with little supernatural influence.

Everything is gonna get weird.

>>19686362
We drew first blood, even if they don't really want to be involved at this point the rest of Vindication is pretty much forced to take part in this. No backing out now.

>>19686423
Thanks for running it, I enjoyed it, hope to see you next time.

I'm always so fucking late to these. I was in the original thread, discussing ideas and all. FUCK.

>>19686608
Hehe, well you know the time of the next one (more or less) so you should be able to participate :)

I just need to think of a good way to introduce the BBEG