Scene II: Horsehead Ranch

[Stormbringer]

You find your way to the ranch after some confusion.

Despite what the bartender said, it transpires Horsehead Ranch is west of Palace, not south. Boy, what an idiot that guy was! You hope the rest of his information was accurate...

A rickety sign above the gate announces your successful arrival. You look ahead to observe the lay of the land.



There's a rectangular fence surrounding the ranch. Ahead of you is a gate; the main entrance. To the right (north) is a corral for horses; there's a shelter and a water-trough therein. To the left (south) is a stable. Behind that, there's a 'dogtrot house', two wooden cabins joined together with a bridging hallway, typically used for servants quarters: stable-hands, butlers, guards, etc. The wood of these cabins is rotted and poorly maintained. In front of this building is a well.

Right at the back of the compound is the great lodge itself, where the rich guests of the ranch would stay to have their 'Wild West' experience. This building is looking worse for wear, showing signs of major neglect and vandalism; a mere ghost of its former glory. The windows are shuttered and boarded up.

Your mounts seem highly reluctant to enter through the gate, snorting and stamping their feet at the entrance.

[Mantis]

Is there somewhere off the trail that we could secure our horses out of sight from the ranch and any other people on the track?

"Gents, may I suggest we proceed on foot and as quietly as possible? Those ramshackle huts along the perimeter may be trapped or have a look-out holdin' up in them. Let's check them out and get a view of the main building. We're dealing with hardened criminals here, not poor, unfortunate innocent men like us."

[Stormbringer]

Is there somewhere off the trail that we could secure our horses out of sight from the ranch and any other people on the track?

I'm sure there is.

[Sly Boots]

"If we're waiting for nightfall to act, then it makes sense to find a suitable vantage point from which we can learn our quarries' movements and number, until darkness falls."

"Perhaps it may even be best to cover a couple of different sides of this place, and compare notes before deciding upon a course of action."

[Wrathbone]

Is there somewhere off the trail that we could secure our horses out of sight from the ranch and any other people on the track?

"Gents, may I suggest we proceed on foot and as quietly as possible? Those ramshackle huts along the perimeter may be trapped or have a look-out holdin' up in them. Let's check them out and get a view of the main building. We're dealing with hardened criminals here, not poor, unfortunate innocent men like us."

“You ain’t wrong. Two of these boys are wanted dead or alive, hefty bounties on ‘em both. The third’s wanted dead only, so don’t be sparin’ no bullets. They’d snuff yer lights out soon as they’d slap the backside of a workin’ girl and call her Sally.”

The Cadaver Kid is lost in thought for a good while.

"Perhaps it may even be best to cover a couple of different sides of this place, and compare notes before deciding upon a course of action."

I’ll try and find a vantage point overlooking the main building, trying to gauge if there’s any noise, light or movement from within. If there’s no vantage point, I’ll skulk by the fence checking for the same things, maybe seeing if there’s a gap or loose section that could be exploited.

[Sly Boots]

I'd like Doc to set up camp somewhere to the NE corner, with a view across all the buildings, to hopefully glean some info on any activity within those.

[Stormbringer]

Seein' as the horses refuse to enter the compound, you turn around and tie them up somewhere out of sight, then the four of you return to the ranch.

I’ll try and find a vantage point overlooking the main building, trying to gauge if there’s any noise, light or movement from within. If there’s no vantage point, I’ll skulk by the fence checking for the same things, maybe seeing if there’s a gap or loose section that could be exploited.

Cadaver Kid creeps off ahead along the southern perimeter of the compound, behind the stables and dogtrot house, and sneaks around north, up the back of the main building.

The fence surroundin' the compound has no obvious gaps but could be climbed real easy. The building, likewise, has no holes in the walls, but CK can see there's a big ol' stone chimney, right at the back, in the centre of its western wall, that could be climbed and entered from above, if you had rope and some kind of grapplin' hook for ascendin', or if you similarly made that rope into some kind of lasso you could throw over the chimney stack.

CK also observes there are five windows runnin' down the length of the back wall, just like on the front of the buildin', but all of 'em are boarded up and shuttered. You could smash your way through any one o' them, but that would take some effort, and might attract some attention...

There seems to be some kind of commotion goin' on inside—shouts, screams, gunshots, and things breaking—but CK can't tell precisely where it's coming from.

I'd like Doc to set up camp somewhere to the NE corner, with a view across all the buildings, to hopefully glean some info on any activity within those.

Doc Scotum, meanwhile, heads north from the main gate and crouches real low near the north-east corner of the corral. Peerin' over the fence, he sees in the shelter inside the corral that there is what remains of a guard, well and truly dead, slumped in a rickety wooden chair, clutchin' a rifle. From the looks of him, it seems he's mostly been eaten by somethin'.



Cumflutter and Roach are still waiting at the main gate until they declare their actions.

[Mantis]

Parcheval will go, all sneaky like, through the front gate and take up a position in the ruined stable if it's empty. If he sees that there are horses in there that might cause a fuss he'll proceed on and poke his head into the next outbuilding and hold up in there instead if it's empty.

[Stormbringer]

Parcheval will go, all sneaky like, through the front gate and take up a position in the ruined stable if it's empty. If he sees that there are horses in there that might cause a fuss he'll proceed on and poke his head into the next outbuilding and hold up in there instead if it's empty.

Parcheval sneaks through the gate and makes his way into the stable via the main door.

Inside, he spies four mules in stalls, chowin' down on some stale hay. They seem pretty passive and not interested in kickin' up a fuss. There's various shovels and pick-axes stored in here, that look like they'd make a good weapon in a pinch, and three bags of somethin' called Jeremiah's Discount Equine Feed.

But, the centrepiece of the stable is the hanged man, noose 'round his neck, swingin' from the rafters. Looks pretty fresh. He's still got a revolver on his hip, and who knows what other loot in his pockets. Standing around in a circle watching the corpse, actin' like they's responsible, are four crazy-lookin' outlaws dressed up like clowns. Dang! These must be the Rodeo Clowns, the main rivals of the Loudmouth gang! Looks like word got 'round that the Loudmouths were holed up here. Each of them is armed with a wooden club, wrapped in barbed wire. No firearms; that ain't their thing. They appear to be about to start using the hanged man as a piñata!

Roach, test Slick to see if you can stay undetected as you enter (that's a d20-1 in your case)

[Animalmother]

Sorry, I'm struggling to keep up today!

[Mantis]

16 on the dice. So 15.

[Stormbringer]

16 on the dice. So 15.

Roach presses his back flat against the outer wall of the stables and peers in through the door.

The Rodeo Clowns haven't spotted you, and they proceed to start playing their game of piñata with the hanging corpse, taking turns to bat at him with their barbed-wire clubs.

[Mantis]

Tarnation! Parcheval ain't prone to this kind of violence. He will retreat quietly and gather up any of the gang he can find on his way to Doc's little camp to update them on what he saw.

[Stormbringer]

We'll wait to see what St John Cumflutter does before any further actions take place.

[Animalmother]

Cumflutter slides his hunting rifle carefully out of its buckskin sheath and drops a finger sized bullet into the breach. He carefully sits at the makeshift camp to listen to Roach's report. While listening attentively he carefully starts the makings of a lasso in case anyone wants to climb the chimney.