Don your TIN STAR and Lay Down the Law in the West (Choice of Games CYOA)

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Regallion: Nov 11, 2012

5
Also, if James was shot as he was drinking coffee..why did no one mention the coffee stains back in Preston Springs? Odd, that.

# ? Oct 28, 2018 10:24

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# ? Jun 9, 2024 21:50

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Coffee stains- maybe they got him just as he finished the last cup?

Put me on the #5 train too- it seems like a good offer. Maybe we can put Jack on the 3:10 to Yuma.

# ? Oct 28, 2018 13:59

Rockopolis: Dec 21, 2012; I MAKE FUN OF QUEER STORYGAMES BECAUSE I HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO WITH MY LIFE THAN MAKE OTHER PEOPLE CRY

I can't understand these kinds of games, and not getting it bugs me almost as much as me being weird

5

Hey, anything weird, or does the game acknowledge if you name your character Steele?

# ? Oct 29, 2018 01:46

LightWarden: Mar 18, 2007; Lander county's safe as heaven,
despite all the strife and boilin',
Tin Star,
Oh how she's an icon of the eastern west,
But now the time has come to end our song,
of the Tin Star, the Tin Star!

Rockopolis posted:

Hey, anything weird, or does the game acknowledge if you name your character Steele?

Doesn't look like it, no conditionals based on the playername in the script for this chapter.

We're not going to grind the wheels of justice to a halt, but maybe we can smooth out their turning.

quote:

"Jack, I can't promise anything on account of what you've done. But I will do what I can to have you serve your sentence where you won't freeze for four months."

"I get you Marshal," Tumbleweed says quietly. "I was just hoping�well, hope is for horses. You know I got paid to kill marshals. It weren't much though. Where I picked up my money was right here in Elko. And this time around�there weren't no envelopes waiting for me. No messages through the telegraph neither. Its like they just pulled up stakes and left me behind. Guess they must have other plans now."

Other plans. You ruminate on that as you shake Tumbleweed's hand and leave the man to his work.

(Law increased, Order slightly increased) (+5 Law, +2 Order)

And then it's on to the rest of Elko.

Head back to Preston Springs.
Take in a play while I am down here.
Visit the trans-continental telegraph station.
Go find Yiska's office and ask for legal advice.

Oh hey, free theater.

quote:

Take in a play while I am down here.

You and a dozen others sit down to a play that reaches back into antiquity; the tragedy of Timon of Athens.

Timon is a wealthy patriarch of Athens, generous and caring to his friends. Perhaps a bit overly so as even the smallest gifts given to him are returned a dozen-fold. Indeed, he goes so far as to pay three talents of gold so that his servant Flavius might marry the woman that Flavius so dearly loves.

At a fine and sumptuous banquet Timon goes even further; paying to release an old friend from debtors prison so that he might attend then giving away art and jewelry to all who attend. When the party is over Timon is left with nothing but the house he stands in; which is promptly confiscated by creditors. Only a cynical philosopher Apemantus and a worthless but professional fool keep Timon from being taken to debtor's prison.

Timon pleads for relief with those he thought were his friends only to have them turn away. Awrath at this turn of events, he vows revenge and engineers another banquet for those he feels betrayed him. At the 'feast' he serves them rocks and tepid water then sprays them with both before he flees Athens.

In a cave beyond the city's bounds he contemplates the error of his ways and his reliance on the appearance of friendship. Then he discovers a bit of gold. Then more. The cave is filled with it. But Timon does not care for what the gold could buy or that he could return to society. Now fully a misanthrop, he treats with a rebel leader and offers him his wealth in return for attacking Athens itself. Even when his good friend and former servant Flavius entreats him to relent, Timon can not. Instead he simply notes that this shining example of friendship and goodness is a mere servant in Athens.

Timon withdraws to the wilderness to die; leaving behind only the epitaph:

'Here lies a wretched corpse of wretched soul bereft.'
'Seek not my name, a plague consume you wicked caitiffs left!'
'Here lie I, Timon, who alive, all living men did hate.'
'Pass by and curse thy fill, but pass and stay not here thy gait.'

(Survival slightly increased) (+2 Survival)

With that sorted, we can go see Yiska.

quote:

Go find Yiska's office and ask for legal advice.

Yiska's office isn't difficult to find, being one of the few six pace house and furthermore marked with a storm worn plank into which are carved the words 'Yiska Navaho Shoshone - Indian Lawyer'.

The door is half open. It seems the man himself is in.

Head right on through the door.

quote:
As you set foot on the porch the wood gives a stern creak. From inside Yiska calls out above the protests of exterior wood, "Just a moment, please."

Footsteps. The door opens in full to reveal a young couple in Sunday bests. Black jacket, white shirt and red bow tie for the whiskerless fella; a bonnet with matching blue dress for the pretty young thing at his side. The young man tips a bowler hat your way in passing while the lady flashes a sweet smile.",

Yiska himself wears a button down shirt and long tie. A pair of polished black shoes rounds out the lawyerly ensemble. His handsome native features, proud and potent as the nearby mountains, are flush with ready wit as he directs his clients off.

"Don't forget. Go see the justice of the peace straight away and get his mark," he reminds the pair. As they depart he glances over at you.

Wait a moment and study the office.

quote:
It is a modest affair all around. One door, two windows and a little pipe stove whose iron chimney pokes out the top. Must be cold in the winter.

Footsteps. The door opens in full to reveal a young couple in Sunday bests. Black jacket, white shirt and red bow tie for the whiskerless fella; a bonnet with matching blue dress for the pretty young thing at his side.

Yiska himself wears a button down shirt and long tie. A pair of polished black shoes rounds out the lawyerly ensemble. His handsome native features, proud and potent as the nearby mountains, are flush with ready wit as he directs his clients off.

"Don't forget. Go see the justice of the peace straight away and get his mark," he reminds the pair. As they depart he notes you.

Call out.

quote:
Yiska's voice readily answers back, "Hold a moment."

Footsteps. The door opens in full to reveal a young couple in Sunday bests. Black jacket, white shirt and red bow tie for the whiskerless fella; a bonnet with matching blue dress for the pretty young thing at his side.

Yiska himself wears a button down shirt and long tie. A pair of polished black shoes rounds out the lawyerly ensemble. His handsome native features, proud and potent as the nearby mountains, are flush with ready wit as he directs his clients off.

"Don't forget. Go see the justice of the peace straight away and get his mark," he reminds the pair. As they depart he beckons you close.

quote:

"Those were Mister and Misses George Gantz. Or they will be once they get properly married. As it turns out, Tahoma, a saloon keeper can't join two people in matrimony no matter how much whiskey everyone drinks."

Yiska guides you into his cramped office. Six steps in lie a pair of broad shelves so laden with books that the oak has begun to bow. At the far end rests a big wooden desk topped by a stack of thick papers and a steel tipped reservoir pen that must have come a long way. A half filled ink bottle and eyedropper for the same rests on a low shelf nearby.

He invites you to sit in one of the two chairs opposite his desk, takes the other opposite you.

"I wanted to talk with you about something personal first." [Start Romance]
"I may be in a bit of a bind concerning a second marshal."

quote:
Yiska listens attentively as you lay things out. As you conclude he leans back in his chair and muses for a long moment.

"Interestingly. Your answers may be close at hand," he says after a moment. "Please allow me a little while to find the relevant passages for a precise recitation."

"I have this friend who is a federal marshal, and they just found that a second marshal is in their county."

quote:
Yiska listens attentively as you lay things out concerning your 'friend'. As you conclude he leans back in his chair.

"Fortunately for you, your friend's answers may be close at hand," he says after a moment. "Please allow me a little while to find the relevant passages for a precise recitation."

Got to go straight to business here Yiska.

quote:

Yiska takes up a thin volume entitled the 'The United States Constitution' from his library shelf. After a brief read he extracts another tome entitled 'Judiciary Acts, 1789 to present'. A simple flip of those crisp pages draws forth a serious nod.

Wait patiently for him to gather his thoughts.

quote:
After a time he taps the page, "I have an answer. Bear with me while I lay it out for you."

"Is there anything in there about squatters rights? Can I just shoot the man?"

quote:
"Ah, Tahoma, how I have missed your forthright declarations," Yiska considers as he runs a finger along a passage on the page. "The short answer is yes, of course you can. But doing so may not be legal."

quote:

Yiska lays the book out before you. The page he taps is entitled Judiciary Act of 1789.

"U.S. marshals were one of the first things set down by the founders of America. They acted primarily as federal representation within the states. Because of this, all appointments to the post are made by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Now, I know you haven't been confirmed. No one has owing to the tensions in Washington right now," Yiska explains as he settles into his chair. "After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by the actor John Wilkes Booth�well, things got thrown into turmoil because nobody expected Vice President Johnson to be anything other than a drunk waiting in the wings."

"So, I haven't been confirmed? And I'm not a marshal?"

quote:
"Well, when this Marshal James you spoke of filled out your paperwork, he said it made you a provisional marshal. That is not quite accurate. You are more of a deputy, and that is something which he, as an appointed marshal, is legally capable of bestowing," Yiska explains.

"So, I am really a deputy marshal until the paperwork clears?"

quote:
"Precisely," Yiska says.
"Then this 'Marshal Steele'�"

quote:
"I will approach that presently," Yiska says.

"You hesitated there when talking about John Wilkes Booth."
"Well, I knew the Booth family. That is to say, I knew his older brother June from my brief stay in San Francisco and then met the more celebrated Edwin Booth in New York," Yiska explains. "They come from an acting family, heir to the legacy of Junius Brutus Booth. A man by the name of Brutus, if you recall your histories, was a lead conspirator of in the assassination of Julius Caesar nearly two millenia ago. But I digress.

"Yes, I knew Edwin and June Booth, good men though only Edwin has his father's genius when he takes the stage. To watch the man portray Iago or Richard the third is to be thrown back into that very time as spectator. Sad how John Wilkes turned out, but certain causes make men do strange and terrible things."

"What is the trouble in Washington?"
"I would say the usual nails in a horse's hoof, but this time it is different. This time the Republican party is tearing itself apart. The more moderate Johnson is at loggerheads with his own party over the issue of reconstruction and other aspects pertaining to the now disbanded confederacy," Yiska explains, " and because of this the party is fast approaching a cliff and neither side seems eager to quit. Much of the work of congress, marshals included, is being delayed out of spite."

"What about Marshal Steele?"

quote:
"I honestly do not know the man. But chances are that someone else does," Yiska points out.

"You know someone I should ask?"

quote:
"Indeed. I know a man who can help. He's been just about everywhere and has brushed elbows with just about everyone. I am speaking of Dan Schmidt, of course. Is he still around? I have not seen him since the Red Ribbon affair," Yiska says, "I thought he might have gone out Wyoming way for the annual buffalo hunt."
"What are you saying?"

quote:
"Three words. Trans-continental telegraph. Or is that two words due to the hyphen? Regardless, from the telegraph operator's shack here in Elko you can send messages nearly anywhere east or west. If there are answers to be found, here would be the place to ask your questions."

"Any chance you'll tell me what the name Tahoma means?"
"Perhaps soon," Yiska notes, "when it is near to a year."

"What does this all mean for Marshal Steele and myself?"
"That is the question," Yiska nods. "There is no law that says only one marshal per county. That is merely custom and precedent. It could be broken any number of ways. Delays in receipt of letters for example, though that is less prevalent now with the telegraph. I suggest you proceed with caution for neither of you are on solid ground. Now, I hate to be a bother, especially to a client, but I also have other clients who have been waiting longer."

He ushers you to the door and offers the usual farewells as you step out.

That was probably helpful. Looks like it's time to send out some messages.

quote:

Visit the trans-continental telegraph station.

The telegraphy shack isn't much. Solid pine wood walls house a place where the copper wire dips down, slips in one side, and then wanders out the other. Modest by all appearances, but the soft, rhythmic clacks that tumble out the door are a harbinger of great change that began just five years past.

A message can be sent from New York to San Francisco in a matter of hours instead of months. This is what truly brought California into the sisterhood of states instead of remaining an isolated paradise.

The door to the shack opens and a young, bespectacled man steps out. Twenty and some years with only a hint of whiskers, he eases out a cigar and prepares to nip the end with a knife.

"Hello there, I'm Ruolan Shen."

quote:
"Martin Baldwin," he replies and readily offers a hand. "Let me guess, you want to send a telegram?"
"Yes."

quote:
"Figured as much," Martin says then strikes a match and waves it under the tip of his cigar. "Otherwise, it'd be like going into a saloon for a glass of milk."
"No."

quote:
"Really?" Martin asks then strikes a match and waves it under the tip of his cigar. "Well, glad to meet you all the same."
"Actually, I had a few questions."

quote:
"Yeah. Well, fire away. I'm on a break," Martin says then strikes a match and waves it under the tip of his cigar.

"You there. I'm Marshal Shen and I need to use the telegraph."

quote:
"Of course you do," he replies, "I'm Martin Baldwin by the way. So, how urgent is your need?"

"Very."

quote:
"Usually is for marshals," Martin agrees then strikes a match and waves it under the tip of his cigar.
"You're lucky I didn't shove you back inside."

quote:
Martin strikes a match then waves it under the tip of his cigar, "Now that could have been unfortunate."
"It can wait a while."

quote:
"Glad to hear," Martin says then strikes a match and waves it under the tip of his cigar.
"Finish your cigar if you like."

quote:
"Most kind," Martin nods then strikes a match and waves it under the tip of his cigar.

"You the telegraph operator?"

quote:
"Good guess," the young man notes wryly. "I'm Martin Baldwin, and yes, I'm the operator and receiver. From that tin star I'd guess you are Marshal Shen."

quote:

The young man gives a puff of his cigar, turns a little green, and nearly retches up.

"Cigar not agreeing with you?"

quote:
"Not a whit. Maybe I should switch to cigarettes, even though they're for women," Martin manages to say between rough coughs.
"You don't smoke that much?"

quote:
"Nope. Just started. Gotta have something to wash the taste of copper out of my mouth," Martin says and waves away the obvious question along with a cough of smoke. "Hazards of a telegraph operator."
"Don't die on me. I've got questions."

quote:
"Trying," Martin managed to get out, "but it ain't as easy as it looks."

quote:

The end of the cigar is snuffed by a pinch of fingers and the tobacco length retreats into a little wooden case in his pocket.

"Say, aren't you the one who took down the Red Ribbon dam?" Martin asks. "Among other things?"

"What of it?"

quote:
"Lot of people owe you a beer. The river is running right and that's good for everyone," Martin says. "So, what can I help you with?"
Just stare at him.

quote:
"Hey, not saying anything about it. Especially not with the rivers running right," Martin puts in. "What can I help you with?"
Give a little nod.

quote:
"Thought so. Saw a bit on the register about it," Martin says and tilts his head toward the interior of the telegraph shack. "So, what can I do for you today?"

quote:

"Tell me about the telegraph here."
"Well, its real simple. Ah, heck. No, its not. Little bursts of electricity come along the wires to here. When they get to the magnet there�" he says and indicates a smooth black stone stuck to one end of a lever. Another rests on the other side of the table. As you watch, the westward one begins to shift down against a ribbon of white paper that lies beneath it, "see it moves just enough to mark those registers."

Soon that strip of white paper is indeed covered with black dots and dashes, "That is all in Morse code, on account that the wire doesn't carry actual words. But its close enough for those who know how to decode it."

The paper feeds out with each mark made and apparently doesn't need anyone there to mind it.

"Now, the signal is apt to be weak when it gets here, so what I do is repeat, dot for dot and dash for dash, the message on east or west as need be. Course, for that I need to put the zinc in the copper sulfate," Martin says then steps over to a jar of blue fluid, one of several, and gives the aqua waters a tap with a long strip of a silvery metal. "Putting these two together makes for a spark on our end and most days that is enough to send the signal on over to the next station and so on until it reaches its destination. Simple enough, right?"

quote:
"What exactly is copper sulfate?"

quote:
"Its something you don't want to breath in, let me tell you. They make it by putting copper in an acid bath. So, it got born rough and dishes it back out whenever possible. At the end of the day, my mouth tastes like I've been brushing with pennies," Martin says.
"Why zinc?"

quote:
"Don't know. It works though. Gets a little less shiny after a dip, but that could just be me. Haven't had to replace them in... well, a while," Martin says.
Just stand there and be impressed.

quote:
"Yeah, it is something alright. I expect every town will have one of these soon. Heck, maybe letter writing will become a lost art and it'll all be little sentences. Fifty words or less means you've really got to keep it short. No 'a', 'the' or 'of' if you can help it," Martin muses. "I swear, I'm all atwitter with the possibilities."

"How fast do the messages go?"
"Don't rightly know how quick it is. Fast. Mere moments from here to, say, Carson City. At least, most days it would be. Some of the wires came down east of here and it ain't patched up yet," Martin says. "So I get to take a rest until the register clacks again. Soon enough, the all clear will come and then I'll be elbows deep til sundown what with the messages all piled up."

Over yonder the westward register continues to click and clack out a message.

"Where does the telegraph reach?"

quote:
"Carson City to the west, Salt Lake City to the east," Martin replies. "Oh, that's for the local connection. It actually goes all the way from San Fran to New York. Plenty of other places too. Chicago, Washington D.C., Boston. If its big enough, they've got a station."

"What about down south?"

quote:
"Sure, but they don't have as big a net as the north on account of the recent ravages of war," Martin points out. "Sherman really did a number on Georgia. The Carolina's too from what I heard."
"Arizona, New Mexico, Texas?"

quote:
"Yeah, yeah. There too," Martin notes.

quote:

"I'd like to send a message."

"That is what I'm here for," Martin replies then dons a tidy little blue cap to mark his official transformation from bespectacled fella to telegrapher.

He takes out a pad of paper and readies a pen to write down what you want to say and where it needs to go.

"I need to contact Marshal James. City of San Francisco."
"I need to contact the Department of the Treasury, Washington D.C."
"I need to contact the authorities in New Orleans concerning a marshal who worked in Arizona and Southern Nevada. Last name of Steele."
"I need to send a message to Washington D.C. To President Johnson."
1. "I need to contact Carson City and arrange to have Tumbleweed Jack put in the prison there before winter comes and kills him."
2. "I need to contact Carson City and arrange for the trial, and likely hanging, of Tumbleweed Jack."
3. "Inform Carson City authorities that I'm dismissing charges against Tumbleweed Jack owing to a lack of evidence."
"We're done here."

Who is Marshal Shen going to contact? We can send messages to every option available if we'd like, but if we're dealing with Tumbleweed Jack we've got to pick one of the three options.

Also, there's going to be one more choice after this- how long are we staying in town waiting for a reply? Some responses may take longer to come back to us than others, but if we don't have any more pressing concerns we can wait around as long as it takes if we'd like to.

# ? Oct 29, 2018 04:42

The Lone Badger: Sep 24, 2007

So I'm a little confused. If Marshal James isn't going to be around to hold us to account, what's to stop us from just noping out of this whole situation and our role as 'marshal'?

# ? Oct 29, 2018 04:52

Dong Quixote: Oct 3, 2015; Fun Shoe

"I need to contact Marshal James. City of San Francisco."
"I need to contact the Department of the Treasury, Washington D.C."
"I need to contact the authorities in New Orleans concerning a marshal who worked in Arizona and Southern Nevada. Last name of Steele."
1. "I need to contact Carson City and arrange to have Tumbleweed Jack put in the prison there before winter comes and kills him."

Let's not telegraph President Johnson. He's probably busy letting the rebels off easy instead of setting Grant and Sherman break them forever and won't have time for some marshal out west.

# ? Oct 29, 2018 05:33

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Contact everyone and wait as long as it takes.
1. arrange to have Jack put in the prison

# ? Oct 29, 2018 07:23

Regallion: Nov 11, 2012

contact everyone
Arrange for a jail for Jack
Jack most certainly deserves a hanging, since he killed several people quite intentionally, but seeing as he is repentant AND cooperative, we can give him a chance to start his life over once he gets his due punishment.

The Lone Badger posted:

So I'm a little confused. If Marshal James isn't going to be around to hold us to account, what's to stop us from just noping out of this whole situation and our role as 'marshal'?

Point A: we don't know if he actually died. Current evidence suggest it might have been staged, although that means that Jack either missed, had his bullets unknowingly switched, or James had some kind of body armor w/fake blood poutches that jack did not notice.
Point B: if he died, it MIGHT have been a ghost who appointed us, in which case he can very, very easily get us.
Point C: How exactly do we even know the man WAS James? A little makeup, and voila. Not like we can confirm much.

Regallion fucked around with this message at 11:24 on Oct 29, 2018

# ? Oct 29, 2018 11:10

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Contact everyone, await replies, and send Jack to jail. Hanging him is tempting and would keep to the letter of our agreement if hell is warm, but nah.

Marshal James is also watching over some friends of ours back west, and leaving this mess violates the plot.

achtungnight fucked around with this message at 15:02 on Oct 29, 2018

# ? Oct 29, 2018 11:53

The Lone Badger: Sep 24, 2007

Don't contact the President. That's going a bit high.

# ? Oct 29, 2018 12:24

where the red fern gropes: Aug 24, 2011

are we in a rush to be somewhere? the only time-sensitive matter i can think of is marshal steele trying to move into preston springs, and we have arrangements there already

send telegrams to everybody! especially the president! put jack in jail!

# ? Oct 29, 2018 16:04

Slor The Destroyer: Aug 4, 2012

"He had a coffee pot on the stove, it being cold out, and so I waited until he got thirsty then aimed right through the crack in the wall. " - Poor Marshal James. He never got a chance to drink that coffee.

"I need to contact Marshal James. City of San Francisco."
"I need to contact the Department of the Treasury, Washington D.C."
"I need to contact the authorities in New Orleans concerning a marshal who worked in Arizona and Southern Nevada. Last name of Steele."
Hang Jack. He killed a marshal.

# ? Oct 30, 2018 00:59

LightWarden: Mar 18, 2007; Lander county's safe as heaven,
despite all the strife and boilin',
Tin Star,
Oh how she's an icon of the eastern west,
But now the time has come to end our song,
of the Tin Star, the Tin Star!

Time to send messages to anyone who will listen, and put Jack in a warmer cell.

quote:

"I need to contact Marshal James. City of San Francisco."
"Marshal James�" Martin says as he writes. "Common name. Hope there's not more than one."

"I need to contact the Department of the Treasury, Washington D.C."
"Best title it to the Secretary of Treasury himself, that way they'll look at it quick," Martin says as he jots down your request.

"I need to contact the authorities in New Orleans concerning a marshal who worked in Arizona and Southern Nevada. Last name of Steele."
"Steel�with an 'e'?" Martin asks then jots down your request. "I'll send it via the Los Angelos connection."

"I need to send a message to Washington D.C. To President Johnson."
Martin raises an eyebrow, "President Johnson, eh? Well, you are a marshal so I guess that makes sense. Mind you, from the chatter I've heard, he's not going to be particularly quick on the response."

"I need to contact Carson City and arrange to have Tumbleweed Jack put in the prison there before winter comes and kills him."
"Can do," Martin nods and marks down your words. "Another fella headed over to bunk in Carson City. The Beard brothers will be glad to hear that. They're still nursing their bruises from their last clash with Old Tumbleweed."

(Law increased, Honor increased) (+5 Law, +5 Honor)

Now the waiting begins.

quote:

"We're done here."

"Alright then. Remember, it doesn't take long for the message to get there, but you might be waiting a while for a reply," Martin says then dips the shiny zinc electrodes down into the blue solution of copper sulfate.

A snap and tingle fills the air like the morning before a storm. The taste of copper clings to the inside of your mouth for an instant and vanishes with a swallow. Almost immediately afterward, the register begins to tick down from the eastern wires; coding out a message to be relayed.

"No rest for the wicked," Martin notes as he adjusts his billed cap ever so slightly and returns to his labor.

The reply from Carson City comes pretty quick.

'Prisoner transfer approved STOP'
'Deliver via stagecoach STOP'
'November at latest END'

Tumbleweed will no doubt be pleased at this turn of events, or at least he'll be better fed.

The answer from Marshal James comes after a few hours. A long, boring wait in this cow-town.

'Your message not understood STOP'
'You are Marshal for Lander county STOP'
'Be wary STOP'
'Be confident END'

That is clear enough, if not especially helpful.

Return to Preston Springs.
Wait for more telegrams.

Pretty prompt response for a dead guy. We'll stick around for a while...

quote:

The inquiry into Marshal Steele's background finds you waiting half the day. But eventually Martin steps out of the shack and gives you a wave, "It's a long one, Marshal. And I think the man is on the other end is waiting for you to reply."

'I am Marshal Steele STOP'
'Retired last year STOP'
'Why the inquiry END'

Ah, you've got the fake Marshal dead to rights now.

Martin invites you back into the shack and settles in beside the sending lever.

'Someone using your name STOP Claims to be a marshal END'

Soon enough the register moves in reply.

'It happens STOP'
'Shoot the bastard STOP'

The receiver wavers a moment then adds.

'Wait STOP'
'Describe suspect END'

Describe the Marshal Steele that I met in Preston Springs.
The usual long pause follows your effusive prose.

'May be my cousin Walter STOP'
'If you want to kill him STOP'
'Don't END'

There is a long pause. Perhaps some confusion on the other end.

'I ask you to arrest him STOP'
'Don't shoot END'

That at least is pretty clear.

'Who does your cousin work for? END'
The expected pause follows.

'Hired gun STOP'
'Sometimes with badge STOP'
'Recently employed by company STOP'
'Manning Upton Pickett END'

Cousin Walter might be working for a business of some kind. Strange.

'How good is your Cousin with a pistol? END'
The pause that follows is a heavy one.

'Better than me END'

Well, of course he is.

'When did you retire? END'
The receiver begins to shift soon after.

'Two years past STOP'
'Took bullet in side during war STOP'
'Could not get it out END'

'Anything else you wish to say? END'
The receiver shifts but briefly in reply.

'Good Luck END'

'Goodbye Marshal END'

And with that the strange conversation is over.

Martin leans back in his chair and gives a whistle, "That was amazing. Heck, the whole situation is. I mean, stolen identity, mysterious incorporation, and a certain gun duel to follow. You live quite the life."

"I suppose I do."

quote:
"Guess its hard to notice that when you're in the middle of it," Martin says knowingly.

"It only sounds that way."

quote:
"Yeah," Martin agrees, "its exciting to read about Odysseus and the fact that he can't get home to his Penelope, but the man himself would certainly disagree."

"No. No, I don't."

quote:
"I get you," Martin says somberly, "I... never shot no one. Never had to even try. You're carrying around a burden that is heavier than a mountain."

Head for the door.

quote:
You leave Martin to his work of flicking electric sparks along copper wires hundreds of miles long.

How interesting...

quote:

Wait for more telegrams.

You spend the night in Elko, waken to the lowing of cows and the crisp clacking of the telegraph shack. Before you can gulp down a bit of trail bread and think to boil coffee, Martin steps out and waves you over with a crisp telegram in hand, "You're gonna like this."

At the bottom of the page is the name Hugh McCulloch, Secretary of Treasury and above it lie the words;

'Your message received STOP'
'Several marshals named Steele have been appointed STOP'
'None for Lander County STOP'
'Marshal of Lander County remains vacant STOP'
'Appointment of Ruolan Shen pending END'

And there you have it, bright as the coming day.

Wait for more telegram messages.
Return to Preston Springs.

In it until the end!

quote:

Wait for more telegram messages.

You wait and wait. Lunch comes round, then supper. Martin returns to his shift at the telegraph and takes over for a man with hairy mutton chops.

Finally Martin steps out of the shack and waves you over. A crisp telegram rests in his hand, "I can't believe he actually replied in person!"

The message reads;

'Marshal Shen I have received your message and reviewed same STOP'
'Discrepancy concerning your pending appointment and Mister Steele is troubling STOP'
'Secretary of Treasury McCulloch informs me that you are slotted for appointment to Lander County STOP'
'Other Marshal is not pending for Lander County STOP'
'Suggest you arrest miscreant at earliest convenience END'

There at the bottom of the single page are the words 'Andrew Johnson, Pres U.S.' plain as day.

Martin follows you out into the street and shadows your step for several paces before at last he clears his throat to speak.

"Can I ask what you're gonna do, Marshal?" he wonders as the telegraph register clacks on behind the two of you. "I mean, this is gonna get spread around pretty quick. Lotta people are gonna want to know what is coming."

1. "Hell's coming, for that lying Mister Steele."
2. "Well, I'm gonna draw on him and he's gonna draw on me. Then, we'll see."
3. "If I can talk it over with him, that's fine. If we have to throw down, that's fine too."
4. "I'm going to serve up justice, however I can."
5. "This has to be settled and settled right. That's for certain."

Even the president says this is our spot. Now, what are we going to do about Steele?

# ? Oct 30, 2018 04:02

Regallion: Nov 11, 2012

5 we were asked to arrest him, and we will do that if he can. Impersonating a marshal is a crime, but not quite the one you shoot the suspect for on the spot.

# ? Oct 30, 2018 06:06

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

I like #3.

I wish we could get told after �describe suspect� that if we want him dead, shoot him fast, hard, and several times. It�d be funnier than what we got. �Of course he is� is funny enough I guess.

# ? Oct 30, 2018 06:35

wedgekree: Feb 20, 2013

Going for 5

Because we're playing by the rules so far. Also if he doesn't, well we got a real high pistol score for a reason. we're focusing on law and order, so we make him draw first..

Rule fo westerns - good guy is the one that doesn't draw till the other person has. We're playing it narratively 'by the rules' so we keep it up. If he draws, then it's self defense and we're in the clear fast as we take the pistol from the holster.

But we play it right. That's how the westerns go.

# ? Oct 30, 2018 08:49

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

3. "If I can talk it over with him, that's fine. If we have to throw down, that's fine too."

# ? Oct 30, 2018 09:09

sebmojo: Oct 23, 2010; Legit Cyberpunk

Avalerion posted:

3. "If I can talk it over with him, that's fine. If we have to throw down, that's fine too."

# ? Oct 30, 2018 09:12

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

wedgekree posted:

Going for 5

Because we're playing by the rules so far. Also if he doesn't, well we got a real high pistol score for a reason. we're focusing on law and order, so we make him draw first..

Rule fo westerns - good guy is the one that doesn't draw till the other person has. We're playing it narratively 'by the rules' so we keep it up. If he draws, then it's self defense and we're in the clear fast as we take the pistol from the holster.

But we play it right. That's how the westerns go.

What we�re aiming for is �he pissed her off, she fired, he fell. It was so fast I didn�t see no draw.�

# ? Oct 30, 2018 09:32

wedgekree: Feb 20, 2013

achtungnight posted:

What we�re aiming for is �he pissed her off, she fired, he fell. It was so fast I didn�t see no draw.�

Acceptable. Consider vote changed.

# ? Oct 30, 2018 09:34

Z the IVth: Jan 28, 2009; The trouble with your "expendable machines"; Fun Shoe

5 Come at me, pardner.

# ? Oct 30, 2018 09:38

The Lone Badger: Sep 24, 2007

Pity we couldn't make an arrangement with Tilumbleweed. He's good at killing marshals.

Also, ghosts can send telegrams! Woooooo

# ? Oct 30, 2018 10:05

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

The Lone Badger posted:

Pity we couldn't make an arrangement with Tilumbleweed. He's good at killing marshals.

This guy is not a marshal though so he'd be of no use.

# ? Oct 30, 2018 11:08

Rogue AI Goddess: May 10, 2012; I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees.
That was a joke... unless..?

LightWarden posted:

"I'll send in the paperwork soon enough. And remember, I'll be looking after your friends back here. And I'll try not to let the fact that you killed Priscilla Upton shade our relations none."

LightWarden posted:

'Recently employed by company STOP'
'Manning Upton Pickett END'

Oh dear.

# ? Oct 30, 2018 11:56

Dong Quixote: Oct 3, 2015; Fun Shoe

5 We're still an honest marshal.

# ? Oct 30, 2018 12:50

sebmojo: Oct 23, 2010; Legit Cyberpunk

Ephemeron posted:

Oh dear.

Who was Priscilla?

# ? Oct 30, 2018 18:56

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

dreadmojo posted:

Who was Priscilla?

Woman we murdered that got us sentenced to hang in the first place.

# ? Oct 30, 2018 19:24

Sighence: Aug 26, 2009

That has to change our strategy here. We need Preston to arrest the lawbreaker in his town, and then he needs to... resist arrest, which will result in unfortunately having to put him down. He knows our real story, and why he's not broken it is beyond me.

# ? Oct 30, 2018 19:49

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

He may not know our real story, he may just be a minion of someone who does. Or maybe that person doesn't know we're alive- we did get hung in public and are now operating under an assumed name. Can't say much, spoilers, let's just see how the game plays out.

# ? Oct 30, 2018 20:00

Dong Quixote: Oct 3, 2015; Fun Shoe

achtungnight posted:

Or maybe that person doesn't know we're alive-

I'm still not fully convinced that we aren't a ghost marshal.

# ? Oct 30, 2018 20:38

Regallion: Nov 11, 2012

Dong Quixote posted:

I'm still not fully convinced that we aren't a ghost marshal.

One of those people we had fisticuffs with would have probably noticed the ghostiness. Or that bear.

# ? Oct 30, 2018 23:04

The Lone Badger: Sep 24, 2007

DmitriX posted:

One of those people we had fisticuffs with would have probably noticed the ghostiness. Or that bear.

Maybe we're a very heavy ghost. Weighted down with sin.

# ? Oct 31, 2018 02:34

LightWarden: Mar 18, 2007; Lander county's safe as heaven,
despite all the strife and boilin',
Tin Star,
Oh how she's an icon of the eastern west,
But now the time has come to end our song,
of the Tin Star, the Tin Star!

Looks like we're playing this by ear.

quote:

"If I can talk it over with him, that's fine. If we have to throw down, that's fine too."

"You're covered either way," Martin nods then steps back toward his shack with an eager twitch of fingers.

(Notoriety slightly increased, Honor increased) (+4 Notoriety, +3 Honor)

Head back to Preston Springs.
Stay around Elko for a little while.

Nothing else in Elko so time to head back.

quote:

Head back to Preston Springs.

You saddle up and take ride on back to Preston Springs.

Ask around a bit.
Head to the lobby of the Grand Haven Hotel and confront Steele with what I know.

We've already gotten the others covered, so it's time to head over to the Grand Haven Hotel.

quote:

Head to the lobby of the Grand Haven Hotel and confront Steele with what I know.

Your boots pound across the floor of the Grand Haven Hotel as you step inside with your pistol holstered but ready. There is not a sign of 'Marshal' Steele but a swirl of the registry tells you he hasn't checked out. Not unless he left all his luggage and made a sudden run for the hills. "He's not here," a woman's lovely voice sings out and you instantly recognize it as belonging to Miss Maria Agustina.

You turn and find the Mexican noblewoman by the window with a slim book in hand. Her long, dark hair is kept in place by a net of silver that plays well off a summer green dress. A fringe of lace darts about the cuffs and hem right down to polished black shoes. A matching belt, green with a silver buckle, completes the ensemble.

Her gaze is a steady one that meets yours for but a moment before she glances back down upon her little tome, "At least, I assume you are looking for Mister Steele?"

"I am."

quote:
"You are focused to a fine point, aren't you? Should I leave the town?"

Steele isn't here. Figures. Just when you were getting your dander up.

"Sorry, you said 'Mister' Steele�what happened to 'Marshal' Steele?"

quote:
"Oh, there may be a Marshal Steele somewhere beneath those whiskers, but he is not likely to come out any time soon," she relates calmly. "We had a long talk, him and I. Long enough for me to know that he knows he is not here to enforce laws."

Steele isn't here. That's quite a letdown. But he can't be far, at least not if what Maria implies is true. (+2 Maria)

"Do you know where he is?"

quote:
"I believe he is making friends at one of the saloons," she tilts her head back toward the street, "and paying a great deal of money for drinks and such. Far more than an ordinary marshal might consider prudent."

Steele isn't here. That's quite a letdown from what you anticipated. But he can't be far, not if what Maria implies is true.

quote:

A solid thump upon the floorboards makes you turn as Carlos fills the doorway. Maria's uncle appears little different than he had at your first meeting; his nearly bald head is only partially hidden by the jaunt of a tilted, round brimmed hat. In his hand rests a stout mug and judging from the nip of it in the air, it is not merely coffee.

"I see you there, Ruolan. I saw you before you got up this morning," he warns lightly, "and I will be there when you bed down again."

"Are you�propositioning me?"
[quote]"I would never extend such a blatant offer to a lady," he notes warmly but there is something in his eyes that is very cold. "One does not drape pearls over swine. Or... what is the idiot... idiom? Forget it."

tHe wanders away. That leaves you and Maria to shake your heads over the whole exchange.

"Forgive my uncle. He prefers the hot lands of his birth," she suggests. "Emperor Maximilian... well, things are not going well down there."

"I always wanted an angel to watch over me."

quote:

"So did I. Once," Carlos says and glances toward the main room of the hotel. "If you should see one, send them by. I could use the rest."

He wanders away. That leaves you and Maria to chuckle over the whole thing.

"Forgive my uncle. He prefers the hot lands of his birth," she suggests. "Emperor Maximilian�well, things are not going well down there." (+5 Maria)

"When do you sleep then?"

quote:

"Never," he replies and from the tone you know it is not entirely bravado.

He turns and wanders absently back into the hotel. That leaves you and Maria to stare after him.

"Forgive my uncle. He prefers the hot lands of his birth," she suggests after a long pause. "Emperor Maximilian.... well, things are not going well down there." (+5 Maria)

quote:

"Sorry, Emperor Maximilian?"
"Yes, we've had an emperor for a number of years now," she indicates. "He came over from Austria to rule us in our time of troubles. But things have gone poorly."

"Things are not well in Mexico?"
"No. I fear not. There are many battles. Men and armies striving to control. The Emperor on one side and Juarez on the other," she sighs, "there is much death and destruction. Things were simpler once, but now even the simplest thing is very difficult."

"How does this affect Zapopan where you are Condesa? Or your uncle in Puebla?"
"I can not speak for the province or city of Puebla, but I know that Zapopan and indeed all of Jalisco has suffered. Ravaged really. For when armies march they always leave hungry mouths behind. And when people can not eat, they often steal or kill."

"Let us talk about more immediate concerns."
"Yes. A different topic, if not a different subject," she says briskly and glances ever so briefly down the hall. Her Uncle stands by the fire in the main room with a cup of something in hand and definitely seems to be out of earshot.

"Has Steele said anything in particular about what he's after?"
"No. A failing on his part in several ways. Any law enforcer will gladly tell you what he's about," she explains softly. "Which laws he finds important, which kinds of people he has found to be troublesome, and so on. The older they are, the more they know�but Steele does not speak about such things. Ergo, Mister Steele is not here for the laws."

"What exactly has Steele been up to?"
"I couldn't say. His coming and goings are not mine to espy," she replies, "however, I have permitted Eduardo to inspect the saloons and shops here, as a good guardaespaidas should. He says that Roger, Mister Steele, has paid regular calls upon all three saloons as well as the Tannery and Assayers. From what he can tell, making friends is the 'Marshal's' highest priority here. Indeed, he has already dined with Sheriff Preston."

"Did those monks get set up alright?"
"Yes. The brothers are preparing the ground for the hermitage even as we speak," she says and glances out a nearby window at the distant mountains. "One day, alas not anytime soon, there will a sacred place away from the turmoils of man; a beacon for those who wish to come and pray in the still silence of distant peaks."

When she turns back her eyes are as calm as a rare summer day. (+5 Maria)

"How have you been getting along?"
"Just fine, thank you," she says as she idly tugs at the sleeves of her long dress. "It is different than I expected, of course. Indeed, I did not know what to think at all coming across the ocean. I suspected there would be hovels. Trail and track instead of road or rail. Coyotes in the distance not unlike untended dogs. Mountains though, I am always at home amid mountains and so, yes, I believe I am comfortable here."

Move on to more important things.

quote:

"While I've got a minute, I was wondering if we could talk a bit. Just you and me."
"I'll be going then, to look for Mister Steele."

We've got a few minutes to chat before interrupting Steele's drinking. I'll move it to the next post.

# ? Oct 31, 2018 02:51

LightWarden: Mar 18, 2007; Lander county's safe as heaven,
despite all the strife and boilin',
Tin Star,
Oh how she's an icon of the eastern west,
But now the time has come to end our song,
of the Tin Star, the Tin Star!

quote:

"While I've got a minute, I was wondering if we could talk a bit. Just you and me."

"I certainly have the time," she replies readily and invites you to sit across from her with an elegant sweep of her hand. "Shall I begin or would you prefer to take the lead?"

"Can you tell me a little of where you come from?"

quote:
"How to describe it�" she muses a moment, "I could say much of the mountains. Many poets have. I could say much of the sea, as sailors do. But to me Mexico is far more than the land; it is the flower that blooms in the garden and the wild, the promise of something beautiful yet brief."

1. "Beautiful yet brief. That's true for a great many things."
2. "The poetry that lives only in the soul."
3. "I don't understand. Your country is a flower?"
4. "Seas and mountains�"

"Where did you grow up?"

quote:
"Many places. That is the advantage of nobility. My father sent me abroad early for the war with the Americans was upon us. I visited Toledo, Santarosa, Madrid and Valencia during my early years. Then came studies in Paris, London, and Prague. Your New York is the only city that comes close to those," she says proudly.

1. "It isn't exactly my New York."
2. "Perhaps if you went farther west until you were in actually in the far east..."
3. "San Francisco is more my kind of place. You can always get a great view of the mountains."
4. "Big cities are fine, but it is in the small villages that people truly live."

"What does a young lady study?"
"Everything," Maria says. "And I am only slightly exaggerating. You see, we are expected to know history, science, etiquette, art, scripture, and more. There is nothing we do not brush against in the hope that it will improve our veneer." (+2 Maria)

"I still can't get over how complex your name is."
"Maria Agustina Theresa, Maria de Zapopan, Maria de la Descalzas Reales, Maria Paulina de Toledo y Santarosa�" she readily recites, "is a complex name. Indeed it must be to distinguish me from the others."

"Others?"
"Others of a title and also named Maria. There are more than you might think," she explains with an even smile. "Maria Agustina Theresa is my given name. I am also Maria of Zapopan, which is my declared home. Descalzas Reales is included owing to my efforts. De Toledo y Santarosa refers first to my Father's lineage and then my Mother's. All of this is so that I will not be mistaken for anyone else."

"Sorry, what does the Descalzas Reales portion of your full name mean?

quote:
"Ah, now that requires some explanation. A long one I fear," she notes and waits on your assent.

"Another time then."

quote:
"As you wish," she replies evenly.

"Please, tell me."

quote:
"Have you heard of the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales? It is a convent in the care of the Poor Clares, and its name, 'Monastery of the Barefoot Royals', is most apt for many women from titled families have gone there for their vows. I had thought to do the same, but my father wished to make a match with another powerful family and summoned me from quieter confines," she explains wistfully. "I was scheduled to cross the ocean once again, likely for the last time, but I could not leave the convent lighter than when I had come; you see, my dowry had to come away with me.

"They had a magnificent church there, as you might expect. However, there had been a fire just before I arrived and it had eaten up the retablo. That I could not let stand; and so I decided to arrange for a replacement. As no ordinary replacement could substitute for the works of De Mora and Beccara, I petitioned the King himself and after some extra-ordinary correspondence, of which I was only a small part, the convent received a new altar, one that had been commissioned by Phillip the Fifth over a hundred and fifty years before to commemorate the beatification of the Jesuit Jean-Francois Regis.

"It was a masterwork and included a sculpted relief by Rosconi and several canvasses by Michel-Ange Houasse. Sadly, I myself saw it in completion only once and that in passing. But there is a marble statue of Joanna of Austria in the chapel that I can yet contemplate whenever I close my eyes. If you are ever in Madrid, you simply must arrange to see the convent." (+5 Maria)

quote:

"Is there something you wished to ask me?"

"Indeed," she says then idly taps at the book by her side. "I am fascinated at how... liberated, the state of Nevada seems to be. Those such as ourselves are rarely afforded such an opportunity. That you are of Chinese extraction makes it all the more exotic. But people around here have been inspired by your noble deeds."

1. "I am who I am. I make no apologies for that."
2. "This place has changed me, for the better I'd hope."
3. "This place has begun to twist me, and not for the better."
4. "You are kind of a gossip, aren't you?"

Maria has a question for us on our behavior out here, plus we've got two more opportunities to talk about where we both live.

# ? Oct 31, 2018 02:52

wedgekree: Feb 20, 2013

Poetry that lives in the soul
Perhaps if you went further west so you were in the far east
I am who I am and that's all I yam because I'm the Marshall Ma'am

# ? Oct 31, 2018 02:59

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

2,2,2

# ? Oct 31, 2018 03:02

Dong Quixote: Oct 3, 2015; Fun Shoe

achtungnight posted:

2,2,2

# ? Oct 31, 2018 03:39

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

1 3 4

# ? Oct 31, 2018 08:29

LightWarden: Mar 18, 2007; Lander county's safe as heaven,
despite all the strife and boilin',
Tin Star,
Oh how she's an icon of the eastern west,
But now the time has come to end our song,
of the Tin Star, the Tin Star!

quote:

"The poetry that lives only in the soul."

"Yes, you could say that," she nods slowly in agreement. "If you wait too long then you find it withered. If you grasp too soon then there are only thorns." (+5 Maria)

quote:

"Perhaps if you went farther west until you were in actually in the far east�"

"Oh, but of course," she says and covers her mouth ever so briefly in regret. "I�almost forgot you�it is not important."

quote:

"This place has changed me, for the better I'd hope."

"That would then make it a grand recommendation for immigration." (+4 Maria)

We're getting along pretty well here.

quote:

"How important are your titles to you?"

quote:
"They are part of me. I would rather remove a finger or toe than let them go. That is half my troubles you see. What my family earns, we wish to keep. What we marry into applies fully to that," she explains.

"Is that why you are out here? A marriage?"
[quote]"Indeed, or rather because I have been party to a complicated, and doomed, marriage," she says with a sigh.
"I like that. It'd make a great phrase for a coat of arms."

quote:
"Quod nos mereri, servemus," she recites in Latin, "and yes, we have long considered adding it and would have but for the alternate translation of mereri as 'deserve' and not earn. Also, servemus has connotations for servitude, which is unfortunate."

"You have a married name, but I haven't heard anything about your husband."

quote:

"Nor will you, I expect. I am widowed. It happened very early in our marriage. Indeed, not long after consummating our vows in the wedding bed he�collapsed, and did not recover," she says and looks down a long moment. When she looks up her eyes are twin pools of loss. "I do not pretend to understand God's will in the matter, but if there is a reason then I cannot see it."

He died�where exactly?"

quote:
"In my arms. You see, earlier he had chosen to wear his full finery to honor me, heavy gold braid, layers of silk and brocade. And in the end, it prove his heart's undoing," she says softly. "And that thrust the entire arrangement, political, financial, and social, into a disarray."
"How old was he?"

quote:
"Just twenty years my senior. A span, yes, but we had much in common," she relates with regret. "And the other matches that had been proposed to my father were far worse. I would have been a good wife, but with the marriage sealed and the groom passed away, the entire arrangement, political, financial, and social, fell into a disarray."
"It must have come as a surprise to everyone."

quote:
"Indeed, most of all the groom himself. He wore his full finery to honor me, heavy gold braid, layers of silk and brocade, and it proved too much for his heart. He collapsed in my arms and that is when the rumors began. They accused me of�things and for that reason, amongst others, the entire arrangement, political, financial, and social, likewise fell into a disarray," she explains softly.

"You are out here on account of your marriage?"
"On account of my being widowed so neatly. Vows before God and consummated before witnesses are binding, but for those who press the issue there are courts and�other methods. Already they spread lies about me, calling me a virgin widow. A cruel twist on the name of the Basilica of the Virgin of Zapopan where we said our vows. But words are not enough for some. More than a few of my husband's family would like me to be buried alongside him, as a convenience," she relates in steady tones that bristle with long familiar anger. "I, of course, refused such a 'settlement' and so�after a little 'disagreement' with some 'debaters', my father bade me to hinterlands until the matter has resolved itself. I have done so, in my uncle's care, to the most remote and most interesting locale I could imagine. A proposed hermitage in Nevada."

"This is all very confusing."
"Yes it is," she admits. "I barely understand the twists and turns as they relate to myself. There are almost certainly many that are hidden from my sight."

~~"Can you explain this all in simpler terms?"~~

quote:

"Perhaps," she muses. "I am here because there are those who are trying to murder me in order that I and my family not inherit my deceased husband's estate. This is the most remote, most difficult place to which I could retire without being entirely cast away from civilization." (-5 Maria)

"Your husband's death threw everyone's plans into the air. To settle that, some would wish you murdered. To prevent this, your father arranged for you to travel here to take part in the founding of a hermitage; this being the very edge of civilization."
"Indeed. I am glad you have been listening," she notes with a small smile. (+5 Maria)

~~"Let's just skip all that."~~

quote:

"You may do so. I may not," she notes coolly. (-5 Maria)

Since we talked through the rest of her dialogue tree we have a fair idea of her backstory and can follow along pretty easily.

quote:

"You are a fascinating woman. I would very much like to know you better." [Begin Romance]
"I think we could have a bond of friendship, you and I."
"That's a great story. Thanks for telling it. I've got to go."

This is about the point where we could launch a romance with her, but duty calls.

quote:

"That's a great story. Thanks for telling it. I've got to go."

"Don't let me keep you," she replies softly in small surprise. "I believe you shall find Steele in the Babylon saloon, holding court. That is to say, he is no doubt trying to buy all that others will sell of themselves."

The Babylon saloon fairly churns with townsfolk. Oil lamps are lit against the settling dusk and rambunctious laughter roils out from within.

Down the street strolls Ben Carson. The trail dust is still on his jacket and rifle idly slung over shoulder. He gives you a nod as he steps up then turns on a heel to face the raucous saloon.

Dan lumbers over and tilts an ear toward the ongoing festivities, "Sounds like quite a soiree."

"That's one party I'll attend," Ben banters back and the two men exchange knowing grins.

Carrie ambles out from an alley and settles in at your hip, "Shall we?"

1. There is no reason to talk to Steele. I need only pull my gun, go in straight in to throw down against the man.
2. I had best keep my pistol holstered as I head in. Innocents could be caught up in the crossfire or hit by back scatter.
3. Head in and immediately begin laying out my evidence to those that Steele so desperately wants on his side.

Time for a showdown. What's our strategy? Are going to try to arrest him right of the bat, get the crowd on our side first or just throw down?

quote:

Miss Shen Ruolan:
Traits: Chinese.
Current Companions: Dan Schmidt, prospector. Ben Carson, cowboy. Miss Caraway, gunslinger.
Health: Healthy and vigorous.
Wealth: Enough to drink a little whiskey in a good saloon.
Values:
Order: 79% Freedom: 21%
Honor: 91% Arbitrary: 9%
Law: 67% Individuality: 33%
Notoriety: 8% Anonymity: 92%

Skills:
Gunfighting: 52%
Sharpshooting: 47%
Brawling: 42%
Riding: 39%
Survival: 40%
Legal: 27%
Engineering: 18%
Explosives: 27%
Persuasion: 48%
Intimidate: 50%
Stamina: 35%
Resolve: 43%

Influence:
Influence Carson: 68%
Influence Schmidt: 74%
Influence Caraway: 107%
Influence Preston: 102%
Influence Hartigan: 45%
Influence Albion: 60%
Influence Maria: 99%
Influence Marshal James: 55%
Influence Yiska: 93%

LightWarden fucked around with this message at 05:10 on Nov 1, 2018

# ? Nov 1, 2018 05:08

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# ? Jun 9, 2024 21:50

Regallion: Nov 11, 2012

2 coming in and reciting evidence basically at empty air is just idiotic, but we would like to avoid bloodshed if at all possible.

# ? Nov 1, 2018 06:10

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Don your TIN STAR and Lay Down the Law in the West (Choice of Games CYOA)

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