Book Two: Archer's Trail of Vengeance

[Grognardsw]

I am actually traveling and have not found the right moment to map. I will get to this week, probably on the back of a napkin.

[Grognardsw]

Archer sees his bedecked man behind the desk (D), which has papers, a crystal ball, a dagger, and indeterminate small knuckle-sized bones on it. The ex-private eye, just past the door in, sees the black jaguar to his left (cat). There is a small round table with newspapers on it to his right; a chair in front of the desk; a worn couch with several stained pillows under the west wall small curtained window; a large closed box - perhaps a chest - in the southeast corners; book and skull and knick-knack filled wall shelves in the northeast, southeast, and southwest corners; ceiling beams festooned with Egyptiania; ragged oriental rugs on the floor; pictures and tapestries covering almost every wall space; burning incense masking the terrible scent Archer smelled before walking in; and a curtained doorway in the south wall.

[Inferno]

Archer kept up the rube act.

"Mr... JOY-sant, I..
"Ha! That's some get-up, mister. You carnies really are a bunch of cards! You must be hell on Halloween! Sure had me going there. Ha. I... ACHOO!!
"Oh, pardon me, Mr. JOY-sant. I'm deathly allergic to cats. Can we talk somewhere without this... ACHOO!!!... beautiful circus animal? I'm awfully sorry!"

[Grognardsw]

The man's deep voice reverberates through the large mask: "No, Samuel Archer, we cannot. Sit so that you may make your appeal, and be judged before the Dark Pharoah."

[Inferno]

Sam Archer, mad dog vigilante:

"Very well, Mr. JOY-sant," Archer smiles. He locks the door behind him and walks toward the desk, "I'm afraid I have some papers here...," reaching into his breast pocket, "...a warrant for your... BLAM! BLAM!

Archer interrupts himself when he pulls the pistol from its shoulder holster and fires two pills pointblank at Joissant's heart.

The cold-blooded cultist-killer can't risk speaking to Joissant. The cult hypnotizes people into joining their cause.

Archer assumes the trained cat is just what it appears to be. The dumb animal should be startled by the gunfire and not understand it's an attack on anyone, as if Archer was standing there holding exploding firecrackers in the palm of his outstretched hand.
In the likely event that Archer's wrong and the cat leaps for him, he'll offer it his left hand, holding out the wooden appendage for its jaws to bite.


.38 Automatic: (65%): [1d100] = 65 , Damage: [1d10] = 1
.38 Automatic: (65%): [1d100] = 15 , Damage: [1d10] = 6

[Grognardsw]

As Archer pulls out his gun...

"K'rtep!" snaps the Dark Pharaoh loudly and the cougar leaps upon Archer



one claw grazing the cult hunter (2 HP.)

The masked man throws something down in front of the desk and Archer.

Smoke billows.



Gunfire erupts.



The vigilante can't see his prey amid the smoke.

Actions!

- The cougar and DP have higher Dex's so go first.
- Cougar c/c/b [1d100] = 58, [1d100] = 31, [1d100] = 93. One claw hit
- Cougar c dam [1d6] = 2

[Inferno]

"What's wrong carny, don't you want to read my fortune anymore?" Sam Archer snarls through clenched teeth before he steps to his right. If he hears Joissant speak again, he'll throw more hot lead in his direction.

If he can't goad Joissant into speaking, he'll fire at his cat, pointblank.

BLAM!
BLAM!


.38 Automatic: (69%): [1d100] = 24 , Damage: [1d10] = 2
.38 Automatic: (69%): [1d100] = 57 , Damage: [1d10] = 4

[Grognardsw]

Smoke clouds the room.

The Dark Pharaoh is silent.

The jaguar growls and attacks.

Archer falls back, using his wood hand to block and fend off the great cat.

He plugs the bitch with two slugs.

With a whimper the jaguar retreats.

The smoke clears. The south curtained doorway is half-open into darkness beyond.


Jag c/c/b [1d100] = 88, [1d100] = 66, [1d100] = 82

[Inferno]

Archer risks one eye and half his hatchet face to quickly peek around the curtain into darkness.

If he sees nothing, he'll shed some light on the subject by firing his flare gun into the next room, still using the doorframe for cover.

The mad dog vigilante smiles mirthlessly as he sets this place ablaze with fire and light. "Come on, you goddamned carny. Don't you want to guess my weight? Ha ha hah ha."

Archer's snarled laughter was as cold as the hangman's noose.

[Grognardsw]

The small room beyond the curtain is dark, its two small leaded glass windows curtained. Archer sees blood in the doorway. From the jaguar, or man?

Archer fires his flare gun into the room, lighting it up as the flare strikes a bed. The sheet is smoldering now, likely to cause a fire. Archer sees the room is a roughly 12'x12' bedroom with bed, nighstand, wardrobe, chair, wash basin, rugs on floor, and pictures and tapestries on the walls. There is a trapdoor in the ceiling and a regular door ajar opposite him.

The jaguar is in front of the door, hair raised and fangs bared.

That door is half-open. Suddenly a shot gun barrell points out and fires at Archer! The ex-gumshoe is mostly behind the curtained-doorway wall and avoids the brunt of the 20-gauge fire (4 HP.)

- Point blank is shot fired within number of feet equal to Dex. Chance to hit is doubled.
Shotgun [1d100] = 36. Given point blank, this hits.
- Archer gets benefit of doorway cover. Though being a shotgun it would go through the flimsy walls of the trailer, at reduced impact. Damage is one-third: Shotgun [1d4] = 4
- Archer at 8 HP.

[Inferno]

Sorry. Lots of doors are referenced. Which door is the cat at, Archer at, and the shotgun at, please?
Thanks.

[Grognardsw]

There is just the curtained doorway entered in the north wall, and a regular door opposite in the south wall. Archer is at the north curtained doorway, the cat in front of the half-open south door, which is ajar and the shot gun fired from. Archer assumes his carny is beyond that door in what must be the last room in the trailer.

[Inferno]

Sam Archer, manhunter:

Thanks. Totally missed that there was a second cat.

Any chance the AOE of the shotgun blast hit the panther that Archer shot? It's smoky in here, shotgun and cat are in a straight line, and shotguns can shoot the length of this trailer.
Thanks.

Archer merrily kept on trying to rattle Joissant, buying the fire time to spread. "You got some real cute nick-nacks in here, Algier. I'd hate to see them go up in smoke."

"And, a shotgun? That's some mighty powerful white man's magic. Not to mention shooting it with a ten point buck on your head.

"Don't you want to gather my head, carny? And send it to Ambose Carcosa? Or maybe to Konstanin Chertovski? Hahahaha. Don't worry, Algier. You'll see ol' Chertovski soon enough. When you do, be sure to give him my regards."

While jawing, Archer had dropped to the ground away from the curtained door. He tosses his hat across the open doorway, trying to get Joissant to empty his other barrel.

[Grognardsw]

Sorry, there is just one jaguar. It retreated from the first (north) room after you shot it. It is now in front of the door in the second room (noted with the word 'cat'). The shotgun fired well above the jaguar.

I don't think this changes your actions, but if so feel free to edit.

[Inferno]

Slightly edited. Thanks.

[Grognardsw]

The shotgun doesn't fire but Archer hears footfalls from the other room and another bark of that cult language: "K'rtep!"

The wounded cougar comes at Archer, slashing and biting the vigilante (10 HP.)

- couger c/c/b [1d100] = 5, [1d100] = 19, [1d100] = 12. All hit.
- couger c/c/b dam. [1d6] = 3, [1d6] = 4, [1d6] = 3. 10 total.
- Archer's gun is still drawn, so he can get one bullet off before the cougar attacks.

[Inferno]

Archer grits his teeth and squeezes off one last shot before the jaguar kills him.

BLAM!

.38 Automatic: (69%): [1d100] = 13 , Damage: [1d10] = 1

[Grognardsw]

The jaguar yelps as it is hit by Archer's bullet.

The vigilante feels the claws rend him and all goes black.

Thanks for playing. Archer's path was always high risk. You're of course welcome to take up another character (Harold Mather, Agent Mulder) or a new one.

[Inferno]

Thanks for DMing.
Don't have an idea for a new character, but will give it a think.