Tale #1a: The Pygmy Goat Ranch

[Samwell Turleton]

Yes, Wyatte sees a silhouette of another serpent bobbing in the red dust

[Bluehorse]

I've got to admit I am lost on this one. I remember being a little stumped about the time this fizzled the last time too.

[Samwell Turleton]

The dust clears a little and Wyatte sees the surviving handler pass into the gap to the east. George, Lenny, Wyatte, and Jeremiah all hear the start of a yell of surprise from the handler but it abruptly disappears.

[Marullus]

Can you post a new map? Are we still at the Boulder circle? Is the snake still fully encircling it?

Lenny and George jumped to the outside and climbed rocks. Are Wyatt and Jeremiah still trapped and our challengeis to get them outside the snake, or is that past? Are they threatened inside the circle?

Wyatt is seeing more of what's outside the circle. What are Lenny and George aware of?

[Samwell Turleton]

Gold Bluff_v11.jpg (87.73 KiB) Viewed 524 times

[Samwell Turleton]

This map represents how I have interpreted your movements. George and Lenny ran through the gap that Jeremiah is currently in and leaped across the path of the serpent's head. Jeremiah helped Wyatte free from his restraints and then Jeremiah followed behind Lenny and George getting blocked in between the boulders by the path of the serpent. Wyatte climbed the boulder and is standing on top, the dust storm isn't being fully blocked by the boulders when he is standing up there but it lifted enough to show the movement of the handler (H1), who is marked on the map in the last location Wyatte saw him before the yell that abruptly stopped. The handler was heading toward the bluff. George and Lenny were cut off from the boulders by the serpent encircling that clearing (let me know if I misinterpreted your movements and I can update them). Wyatte can see the serpent encircling the rocks and looking out toward the bluff, which you know generally the location of from Jeremiah's warning, he sees the silhouette of another snake in that direction and the other figures, and he know that Jeremiah's path is blocked. George and Lenny are aware of the bright, self-illuminated portion of the serpent's head and neck (not represented in the graphic), the red dust storm that is all around them, that they are heading generally in the direction of the bluff, and that there are shadowy figures in the clouds and the silhouette of a tent they saw earlier.

The black liquid oozing out of the stone between the boulders is continuing to spread but there is still a path along the interior perimeter. It may not be there if Jeremiah tries to backtrack

[Marullus]

"Sheriff, that snake's gonna crunch you!" yells Lenny, his tone more urgent.

[Samwell Turleton]

Loam is also still somewhere in the scene. In the serpent or in the middle of the clearing covered in black liquid with the serpent passing by.

[Bluehorse]

Wyatta calls out to his companions and points in the direction of the other serpant he sees. Another one coming this way from that direction!!! Find some cover! he then runs to the edge of the rock and gets down so he can try to help Jerimiah. Grab on! I think we are safer up here!

[Samwell Turleton]

Wyatte please make a Brawn roll

[Bluehorse]

Wyatte please make a Brawn roll

Brawn +2 [2d6+2]=10+2=12

[Samwell Turleton]

Jeremiah hears Wyatte calling from above him and stumbles across the gap. He braces himself against the stone. The black liquid continues burbling from the ground, slowly advancing towards the inner stone walls of the clearing and nearly touching the bases of the boulders. Jeremiah reaches his hand up as Wyatte reaches down. Jeremiah strains to climb the Boulder with assistance but finds some good footholds to help on the way up. Wyatte pulls the big man up onto the stone with him. The wind howls and sand blows across Jeremiah’s and Wyatte’s faces stinging their skin.

The wings of the serpent dance rapidly over Lenny and George as they call out to Wyatte. The body of the serpent continues to undulate alongside the brothers as they pause on the rocks. The glowing portion of the serpent’s body continues on towards the bluff. The writhing mass following behind sprays droplets of black liquid as it sheds the corrosive substance.

Lenny and George are hit by the light spray of the black liquid as it rots their clothes and skin.

-1 vitality Lenny & -1 vitality George

[Bluehorse]

Wyatte pulls the bandana he wears around his neck up over his mouth and nose and pulls Jeramiah along to the highest point on the rock and yells to Lenny and George, pointing towards where he saw the other snake. Danger coming from that way! Another snake! Get back until we know what is happening here!

[Marullus]

"Ahhh! Hells!" yells Lenny as serpent's wings unfurl unexpectedly above them, spraying more droplets.

Lenny: X X O O | O O O O
George: X X X O | O O O O

The pair scurries backwards out of range, hurriedly helping each other to wipe the corrosive goo from any exposed skin, wordless as they intuitively know what hurts on the other. They still try to get on high ground/boulders above the dust, but further away from the snake...

Give Aid: Lenny [2d6+2]=6+2=8 George [2d6+3]=12+3=15

Both recover one Vitality:
Lenny: X O O O | O O O O
George: X X O O | O O O O
...but the GM can apply a complication on Lenny as he attempts to help.

[Samwell Turleton]

Jeremiah grabs Wyatte's shoulder and points suddenly to the center of the clearing. I think we are seeing the end of the thing coming out of the stone, he says as the body begins to show that it is tapering down to the serpent's tail. The ground is thick with black liquid, now oozing into the gaps between the boulders. Wyatte sees the head of the serpent passing over the bluff and disappearing into the dust.

Suddenly, there is the ringing sound of a bell.

schluck

The black liquid covering the entire body of the serpent sloughs off all at once and drops to the ground. It forms a thick layer on the ground around the boulders. The glowing coils of the serpent's body are more brilliant and intense than before. The creature is so radiant it is hard to look directly at its body. The light is thick in the blowing dust and you hear music, a choral dreamlike sound.

You hear the peal of thunder very close by.

[Samwell Turleton]

Lenny and George help each other to reach a safer distance from the serpent. As they turn back to see where it is headed, they hear a bell ring and witness the black liquid slough off of the creature's body all at once. The brilliance of the light makes it hard to make out details but George thinks he sees the silhouette of a lean figure inside the body of the snake. Lenny is more focused on the droplets to notice anything of his surroundings.

[Marullus]

Lenny and George stay back to avoid injury, waiting and hoping for signs of life (and direction) from the Sheriff on the other side of the Snake of Light.

[Bluehorse]

Wyatta makes note of both the bell and the direction the serpant leaves. He is positive he will have to deal with this again. Looking around them, he tries to get an idea of when and where it will be safe to get to the ground again, and then checks on where the second serpant is.

[Samwell Turleton]

The sky flashes violently and the sound of thunder follows immediately after it. The ring of the serpent's body elongates into a tall column of light that mixes with the flashing of lightning above. Lenny and George feel a strong wind blow outwards from the boulder field driving away the dust. Wyatte and Jeremiah feel the air pulling hard around them towards to the wall of light. In the direction of the serpent's head the wall of dust is parted.

In the distance there is a collection of tents, not just the silhouette of a tent that was seen in the dust before, and there is a bustling market. The tents are made of a dark red fabric, secured to the ground with a number of taut, light colored ropes. The tents form a boundary around a plaza. The plaza is crowded with people covered in vivid powdered pigments of all colors. There are large drums around the perimeter of the plaza being vigorously pounded on by drummers. The sound of thunder mixes with the sound of the drums.

The enormous body of a fabric serpent bobs and weaves through the crowd above their heads. The fabric body is covered in multicolored stains of the same pigments that cover the people. Small clouds of colored pigment are thrown against its body as it processes to the edge of the plaza. The head of the glowing serpent encircling the boulder field mimics the movements of the fabric serpent.

The sky flashes violently again and the ground vibrates with the intensity of the thunder. The lightning passing between the clouds now turns into arcing trees of light reaching up from the ground and dancing around in the clouds overhead. The hair on Wyatte, George, Lenny, and Jeremiah's skin stands on end and there is a metallic taste in your mouths.

[Marullus]

Lenny and George both stand slack-jawed as the serpent becomes the rainbow, rising into the sky. Remembering the echoing tales of Loam, George moves cautiously over and looks for a seed left at the middle of the circle, if the circle of inky blackness has turned back to stone, that is.

"He can't help he's got light inside now... he just looking for the pieces," says Lenny sadly.

George pauses, looking at Lenny with confusion and concern. "What're you talking about?" Bound as they are, George is unaccustomed to Lenny having a thought totally his own. "What'd that madman do to you, Lenny?" George also looks to see if Loam's body remains behind now that the snake is gone, and if it is dead or alive.

"Hey, its the party!" exclaims Lenny, pointing to the tents as they begin to appear through the settling dust, a broad smile on his face.

George looks even more annoyed at the appearance of the entire tent camp, keeping his focus on his local searching. Current weirdness before new weirdness. "Sheriff," he says crossly, "You satisfied that those dogs killed the goats? We done here? I ain't keen on glowy snakes or snake parties." He mutters darkly to himself, "I don't care how murky his favorite pool of water is."