Murder By the Wayside (Game Thread)

[Kendermage]

The chill wind bites into your bones.

For the better part of the day; you have watched as the sky grew darker and darker. The temperature has plummeted to freezing. A little while ago, it began to snow.

The snow has piled up quickly. Large, heavy flakes fall from the sky. The wind picked up an hour ago, and is blowing the snow around creating near white-out conditions. You can barely see 100 feet ahead.

The two of you are headed to Karson City. You left Plainview several days ago; hoping to be in Karson City before the first snow. Lady luck was not with you.

You will be lucky to reach the only spot of civilization between Plainview and Karson City - the Wayside Inn, before night fall.

As it is you still have several miles to travel and the snow is getting worse.

[Kendermage]

OOC:
Here is a rough map of Karson in case you were curious. Keep in mind this map was drawn about 20 years aho, so it may have features which don't make sense.

[The Shadow]

[I propose we distinguish IC from OOC by putting OOC stuff in square brackets. Like this!]

Jacob eyes the snow, falling ever thicker, and remarks laconically, "Fine weather we're havin'." He lowers the brim of his hat to keep the stuff out of his eyes and adds, "Though I do think we can make Wayside if that mule o' yours is agreeable, Walton."

[elf23]

"Bart's tough as rocks, ain't you feller?", Walton says patting the old mule's neck. "Not so sure about myself. A Dwarf stuck out in this blizzard... Don't see much else we can do though, it sure as hell ain't gonna be a pleasant night's rest if we don't make it to Wayside. Even a house made of wood's better than us tryin' to huddle up in amongst my equipment. Not much room in there...", he says, pointing back at the trundling wagon, which is now moving rather slowly through the building drifts of snow.

After a short while of silence he adds "What you know 'bout Wayside Jacob? Ever been there?"

[The Shadow]

"Ain't that many places I haven't been to at least once," Jacob allows. (He keeps his thoughts about the wagon to himself for now.) "Wayside ain't nothing to bring you back fer a second trip, 'less you fall for one of old Wayside's daughters. It's just a family inn - but it's the only place to sleep snug in a hunnerd miles. Lots o' folks lay up there."

[elf23]

"Under these climactic conditions it's sounding better and better", says Walton.

He gives Jacob a sidelong glance - the tall man is peering determinedly ahead into the snowstorm - and slips his hip-flask out of a pocket to take a swig of the whisky inside. "A little something to keep me warm", he mutters to himself.

[The Shadow]

Jacob chuckles drily without turning his head - he's not the sort to miss much. "Jest don't get so 'warm' you think it's summer and I'm a bear. Horse and I have a distinct lack of appreciation for bein' perforated."

[Kendermage]

[OOC: Sorry about the delayed response. I've been dealing with a sick kid.]

Half an hour later, the weather has again worsened. The wind has whipped the snow into a blizzard; nearly eliminating visibility and plunging the temperature to dangerous levels. The cold bites through your clothing threatening you with frostbite

Fortunately, for you you see can see lights just ahead.

They come from a two-story building ahead - The Wayside Inn.

[The Shadow]

Jacob nods in satisfaction. "The Machine's workin' to spec. As It was Made, so hath It performed." He spurs Horse forward - not that the beast needed any encouraging. "C'mon, Walton! Let's get out of this mess."

[elf23]

Walton shakes Bart's reins, attempting to urge him on in a similarly dramatic manner, but the old mule just carries on plodding towards the light. "Sorry 'bout this old feller, we'll both be warm and dry soon enough..." Walton mutters, leaning forwards into the blizzard as he watches Jacob and Horse surge ahead.

[Kendermage]

Though the inn is close by it still takes several minutes for you to reach it. The snow makes the going slow as it has almost obliterated all trace of the road. Were it not for the lights of the inn, you could walk right past the the building and not even know it was there.

Finally, you reach the gate of the fence surrounding the inn. It is hard to open because of the snow; requiring Walton and Jacob to work together.

Once the gate is open the two of you lead your steeds through.

The door of the inn opens and a young woman walks out to greet you. The fierce winds can do nothing to dissipate the wondrous aroma of chili wafting through the briefly opened door.

"Ya'll get on inside, I'll take care of your mounts," she says. The young woman is almost yelling, yet you can barely hear what she is saying.

She takes the reins of Jacob's horse, and Walton's mule and leads them into the doors of the stable which is located off to the right of the main building.

The door of the inn is only a few feet away.

[The Shadow]

Jacob takes off his hat and nods respectfully, bawling over the wind, "Thank you kindly, ma'am!" Without further ado, he steps into the warmth of the inn.

[elf23]

Walton hovers on the threshold of the inn for a moment, drawn by the warmth and the smell of food drifting out from the door, but he turns and follows after the young woman. Jogging to catch up, he hollers up at her through the noise of the blizzard: "Ma'am there's some very important scientific equipment in the back of that wagon. I just wanted to ask you to make sure it goes somewhere secure, if you get my meaning. I wouldn't want anyone meddlin' with it, or the weather conditions affecting it for the worse or anything like that... It's all locked up safe, but i just wanna be sure, y' know... Do you have a barn or somewhere safe to park up?"

[Kendermage]

The young woman says, "Rest assured master dwarf, your possessions and your mount will be kept safe and dry in our stable."

She takes the reins of Jacob's horse and leads it into the stable first.

The inn is toasty warm inside. A roaring fire burns in the fireplace providing warmth enough for the entire room. The entire room is filled with the aroma of beef stew and fresh baked bread.

The Common Room is very spacious. Several small tables as well as two larger dining table take up most of the room. Only one of the smaller tables is occupied. Three men sit at the table playing cards.

One of the men is a young man dressed in a tailored black suit with a rhinestone pattern. He manipulates the cards with the practiced ease of a professional gambler.

The second man is an older cowboy. His face shows many years of hard life on the trail. Sitting on the table in front of him is a worn Peacemaker. He glances at it periodically as he glances at his cards.

The last is an old man. He is easy 50 summers old. He looks at his cards, grumbles a bit under his breath and tosses a few bonds into the pot.

To the left is a bar tended by a man in his early 30's. He looks like a younger version of the man old man seated at the card table.

A man in a black suit is seated at the bar, a black hat pulled low. As you watch he slugs down a shot of whiskey. The barkeep refills his glass and the man again drains it. He obviously is troubled.

Next to the bar is a set of stairs leading up.

The barkeep gestures to you.

"Welcome travelers," he says. "What can I do you you for?"

[elf23]

"Thank you ma'am, it's much appreciated." says Walton, turning and jogging back to the welcoming warmth of the interior. He comes in behind Jacob and wanders up to the bar, with one eye on the card players.

Pleased to be in the warm and dry, Walton grins at the barkeep: "I sure would like a plate of whatever that is I can smell! We come a long way today, I tell ya... And the environmental conditions haven't quite been in our favor, you could say."

[Now I'm standing at the bar, do I get the impression that the barkeep knows the troubled looking man? Notice / Sense motive: 1d20-2=11]