*** Session 01 - Scene 5 (of 15) ***

Back inside Ernie’s Tavern, Jane is cleaning out the spittoons when she spots one ugly Indian walking along the main street of town on his horse. After a second, she realizes it is her old army companion, Squantum.

Jane grabs a glass bottle from the bar to throw over near Squantum to get his attention. However, her usual stellar aim is off and she manages to peg him in the head. It smashes against the side of his head and he falls to the ground.

Squantum lies on the ground, out cold. Big Ernie, spotting the whole thing, cheers Jane on saying, “Yeah, that’s the way! Teach them Injuns to stay out of our town!”

Jane mumbles something about saying it is funny but she actually knows this one and heads over to check on him. He appears to have a wound on his forehead but it doesn’t appear too serious. Luckily, the Indian’s horse is still standing there so she puts him over the back of it and leads it on to the livery stable, as she knows Big Ernie won’t take kindly to having an Indian around his tavern and that’s the only place in town she can put him (and it will be safer than leaving him on the street).

Sonny is in the middle of shoeing some horses when he’s surprised to see that crazy Mexican bitch Jane Deer walk in. She’s leading a horse in carrying an Indian with a wound on his head (with glass in it) and who looks suspiciously like that fucked-up looking Squantum. Unfazed at seeing his old teammates after so long, he simply smiles and makes a comment suggesting Squantum is clearly a drunk Indian who got hurt in a bar fight.

Jane doesn’t disagree, saying she thought this would be the only safe place to put him. Jane isn’t exactly thrilled to see her old commander again, as he was never particularly fond of her or Squantum being an ignorant redneck and all.

For his part, Sonny doesn’t want to deal with the two of them. He tells Jane to go get Earl to deal with this shit.

*** Session 01 - Scene 6 (of 15) ***

Unbeknownst to the others, another of their old companions has been in town the last couple of days as well. The man they only recall as "Tex" (real name Dieter Dettmeyer), the son of a Texas cattle baron who joined the Union after a regiment of the Confederate army raided his family's farm for supplies after being driven out of Galveston.

Tex has spent the last 13 years with business schemes to keep the family ranch wealthy. His latest venture has been to drive the cattle across some of the more fertile plains of New Mexico and sell them in small towns along the rail lines instead of going all the way up to Dodge City, Kansas.

To that end, Tex has spent the last couple of days wheeling and dealing at the Stockland Livestock Auction in Quebrada Cruz, an up and coming farm and cattle town with a little bit of mining operations on the side. Tex hopes getting in on the ground floor here before the town gets really big could allow his father to invest heavily in the area and get favorable political conditions.

Tex sells off the cows for a top rate of $30 for each cow and $20 for a bull. As he heads off with his money he spots a man heading into town along the road. The man looks like he's been walking a while but is dressed like a tenderfoot. Tex originally ignores the man as he counts his money but as he gets closer he recognizes the man as his old army friend, Franklin Hennessy.

For his part, Franklin has had a rough few days. After the war, Franklin return to his wife and child in Maine. He does a pretty good job putting the war behind him and builds up his barber business thanks to his skill with a razor and wits with accounts, eventually employing his son Ben and another barber.

Things continued uneventfully for Hennessy until just a few years ago when his wife suddenly fell ill and eventually died of consumption. Franklin fell into a depression, getting bored with his work and adopting a three-legged mutt named Scamps for a little companionship around the house.

A few months ago, Franklin received a letter from his cousin Ernie out in California talking excitedly about ranching opportunities out West. Ernie, aware of Hennessy's affinity for and skill with animals, implored him to come out to California where they can make their fortune together.  Ernie has always been a bit of a black sheep, and Hennessy was pretty well set for money, but he thought maybe this was an opportunity to start a new chapter in his life.  So he bequeathed the barber shop to Ben, sold his house, packed up his belonging, and hired a wagon and heads West with his trusty dog Scamps.

Being a bit of a tenderfoot, Franklin overpays a bit for a wagon and a handful of men to get him out to California.  Money's not really a problem for him so he doesn't think too much of it.  His crew is a shady bunch though, and they only get him as far as New Mexico before he woke up one morning to find they ran off with his wagon and most of his possessions overnight.  Scamps was nowhere to be found either.

Since then, Franklin has been walking north along the road. He's not interested in revenge, but would like to find his dog. After walking for a couple of days, he spotted the sign for Quebrada Cruz. He's excited to see Tex again, bringing back memories of his happier days during the war.

After they exchange greetings, Tex mentions he's been in town to sell some cattle and grumbles something about his father never giving him enough money. Hennessy says he was robbed on the trail and in need of a place to stay. Tex says they should head into town and get a drink.

*** Session 01 - Scene 7 (of 15) ***

The Stockland Livestock Auction lies a bit south of town, with Erickson the veterinarian the only other house around. It takes them a few minutes to get to the southern edge of town, with Tex being careful to keep his horse slow to allow Franklin to keep up.

When they start into town they can see this part of town is where the Mexicans live. Tex spots a small shantytown of shacks bunched together and determines this must be the area the others at Stockland called “Little Juarez”. A short time later, they also pass near the Old Spanish Mission.

It isn’t long before they reach a saloon, called the “Davenport Saloon”. They decide to head inside for a drink.

Inside, they meet the owner of the place, a man named John C. Davenport. He appears to have a few of his men around, along with a few other regulars drinking at the bar.

Davenport immediately sizes up the men as being new to town, with Tex a cowpoke and Hennessy a tenderfoot. He comments on how people will see Hennessy coming a mile away. Tex notes they all do.

Hennessy says his profession is a barber and asks for a whiskey. Tex asks for one as well, along with a beer.

Calling Hennessy “Tenderfoot”, Davenport asks him if he is a gambling man. Hennessy says he is low on funds as he ran into some trouble on the road.

Davenport says that is a shame, as he has a game he can’t afford not to play. Saying that sounds like a good idea, Hennessy agrees to try. Davenport explains the game is called “Chuck a Luck”. He goes on to say Hennessy can place a bet of $5 on any number from one to six, then explains he will roll three dice. The game pays out $5 for each time the number comes up on a dice. Hennessy isn’t so sure about spending that much, but Davenport notes he can triple his money real quick with one roll of the dice.

Before the barber can put down any money, Tex has him stop. He has Davenport explain the rules again then notes to Hennessy that the odds aren’t very good. Hennessy asks Tex if he should play, and the cowboy advises him against. Davenport tries reasoning with Hennessy that cowboys don’t see things the same way civilized folk like they do, but Tex interrupts him before he makes his case.

After Tex tries unsuccessfully to get Davenport to change the rules, the bartender abandons the idea. He tells Hennessy if he doesn’t want to spend that much he has a card game for him with much better odds that only costs $1.

Hennessy puts down his dollar and Davenport produces three cards bent lengthwise in the middle. He shows them to Hennessy, with one of them being the Queen of Hearts. He moves them around quickly on the bar and tells Hennessy to pick the one that is the queen.

The barber selects the middle card, but that’s the wrong card. He asks him to play again, but Hennessy first asks Tex if the game is straight. Tex notes it’s only as straight as the dealer wants it to be, noting his father always said a fool and his money will always be poor. They decide to just get a couple more drinks instead.

*** Session 01 - Scene 8 (of 15) ***

Up in the canyon, Earl isn't having a great day. Early that morning, the McReedy / Tibbs claim nearby struck what they believed was silver. After Tibbs went off to the Assay Office to verify the claim, Earl decided that must mean his claim had some silver in it. He spends the day busting his hump, but has still had no luck finding anything.

Just as he's wiping the sweat out of his eye, he notices Jane coming around the bend. He warns her not to startle Betsy, his trusty mule. She makes a comment about what she'll do to the beast if he does.

Jane goes on to explain Squantum has shown up in town and is down at the livery. She goes on to explain "Sergeant What's-his-name" is also in town, working at the livery, and doesn't want the Indian there but they need some place for him to rest up from his injuries.

Earl tries to ascertain what happened. Jane says she was washing a bar glass for Ernie when she looked up and some him lying on his ass in the road. Earl is still confused, asking her to verify it is the Indian from the war.

This excites Earl, who says he has to see this. Jane isn't aware of just how much Earl hates Squantum and blames him for the loss of his eye. The two head down the canyon.

As they reach town, they spot a couple of men heading from the direction of the Davenport Saloon. They recognize them as Franklin Hennessy and Tex. Tex recognizes Jane immediately, never forgetting an attractive woman.

Tex doesn't realize the two have already spotted them, so he throws a rock to get their attention. It nearly hits one of the workers at the construction site for the new Golden Nugget Theater.

The owner, Jake Kilburn, and some of his men wander over to Tex and Hennessy. He asks Tex what he's doing throwing stones around his workers. Tex says he was tossing stones, not throwing them. Kilburn remarks, "You got a mouth on you boy."

Tex goes on to say he was trying to get the attention of the two over there (indicating Earl and Jane), and half-apologizes for any trouble he caused. Kilburn remarks the two are new in town, and he recognizes Tex's Texan accent. He introduces himself to them and asks their names (saying "how original" when Tex gives his nickname).

Kilburn explains this site is for the Golden Nugget Theater, the finest saloon in town until it burned down in the great fire. He says he also has some other ventures going on in town, noting he can always use a couple of capable men. Hennessy asks what kind of work, but Kilburn says only that it is the kind of work folk don't want to ask too many questions about.

Tex says he has no questions about that. Kilburn says he seems like a man he can use, but isn't so sure about his tenderfoot companion. Tex tells him he served with Hennessy during the war and assures the man he has skills. Hennessy, not following, asks if he is talking about barbering. Tex says yes, he is certainly talking about cutting up. Kilburn tells Tex he'll be in touch.

Across the street near Skagg's Cash Store, Jane notes Tex is talking to Kilburn. She asks her uncle if they should help them out. Earl says if they are stupid enough to get entangled with the Kilburns then they'll get what they deserve. Jane is a little sympathetic about the Easterner Hennessy, who she fondly recalls serving with because of his excellent skills.

After they get done with Kilburn, Tex and Hennessy wander over. Tex says something about them trying to get their attention. Earl sardonically notes they must have been on his bad side.

Tex asks what they are doing in town. Jane says "not throwing shit at people" without any sense of irony. Earl says they are just in time, noting the two of them are off to see "that uppity Injun" and Earl intends to "give him what for".

Hennessy is surprised to hear Squantum is in town. Jane says he is unconscious at the livery. Tex notes the whole squad is almost there, asking if they are missing anyone. No one thinks to mention the sergeant.

Tex says he's hungry, thinking of the time they ate the ham. Earl tells him the livery is next to Edna's Chow House. Hennessy suggests they should stop there first for a meal before seeing Squantum.

As they head over, Tex asks what Squantum is doing in town. He notes people in town won't like him. Jane agrees, noting no one can understand the Indian like they do, but Tex says they never really understood him either they just needed him. In the end, they decide to head to the livery first so Hennessy can check on him.

*** Session 01 - Scene 9 (of 15) ***

Shortly after they all arrive, Mikhail shows back up from a horse sale. He isn’t so happy to see the bleeding Indian in one of his stalls. Jane says that Injun is a Union hero. He asks what is going on, and if any of them are there to buy a horse.

Earl says he’s there to cut one of the Indian’s eyes out. Hennessy says he is there to patch the Indian up. Mikhail says that is not what his store is for, saying this is bad for business. He tells them they cannot hurt the Injun there.

Ignoring Earl’s comment that they were going to feed the eye to one of the horses, Jane suggests they could take him out back to sew him up. Mikhail says that is a good idea, though notes taking him over to Chinatown would be even better. Jane thinks how she is interested in seeing what Eddie Hong is up to.

Tex has everyone note where their horses are. He tells Mikhail they may be back later. Mikhail says good then tells Pickens to get back to work.

Just then, everyone takes notice that Pickens has been there the whole time, not saying much. Hennessy asks him if he is working there now while Tex is simply surprised and trying to place the man. Pickens tells them he was just keeping track of the drunk Indian while waiting for them to get back, noting he didn’t realize the whole unit would be in town (though he is still missing his privates).

Tex feels the whole thing is very strange, and perhaps they will need the Indian to provide them with guidance. They take Squantum around the back and Hennessy sews up the head wound. After a little bit, the Indian comes to.

Hennessy notes he had shards of glass in his head, asking him what happened. Squantum looks around but isn’t surprised to see them. He says he was expecting them, explaining he had a vision. Earl asks, “what kind of heathen bullshit is that?”

Squantum responds that it is the kind of bullshit where a group of people who haven’t seen each other in 13 years all suddenly find themselves in the same place on the same day. A still agitated Earl says he hasn’t seen shit out of his other eye in 13 years. Squantum says he is still angry old man.

Jane mumbles something about Earl still being cranky about not finding silver. Squantum says again he knew they’d all be back together, saying it was their destiny.

Squantum says he was attacked in street by an angry Chinaman or something. Jane agrees she thought she saw one of the Chinese workers going down the street after he was attacked. Hennessy suggests they could go burn down the Chinatown part of town for retribution.

Tex wants to hear more about the vision, asking if there is money to be made. Squantum tells him yes, calling him his “greedy friend”. He says they will band together under the capable leadership of “Captain Pickens”, and they will use their skills to protect the down and out, or perhaps rob if necessary.

Squantum says they are “soul brothers”, saying they are part of the same “spirit tribe” and are meant to be together. Earl says the Indian’s English hasn’t gotten any better and he still has no idea what the fuck the man is talking about.

The Indian goes on to tell him to think about the excellent leadership Pickens brought to them during the war and all the glory they got. He says there is more glory and riches for them to find as they band together as a “spirit band”. Pickens likes the idea of riches. Tex sarcastically says he likes the idea of the bitches he was talking about.

*** Session 01 - Scene 10 (of 15) ***

Still hungry, the spirit band move to next door to visit Edna's Chow House, a small chow line operated by widow Edna Drobel. As usual, it is frequented by the poorer members of town with a few young girls dishing out the food. Prominently displayed near the chow line is Edna's wooden reproduction of the Ten Commandments near the sign declaring a meal is two bits and a warning not to ask for handouts.

Hennessy gets Tex to pay for his meal. They all get a plate full of stale biscuits and somewhat tasteless gravy.

As they eat, Earl banters with Edna, asking her how they are supposed to follow the commandments with those pretty serving girls they have there. The reserved Edna tells Earl to watch his tongue.

Tex offers that Earl was referring to Edna herself, who responds that Earl will have to make an honest woman of her if he wants to talk like that. Tex says he will, but cautions her to stay on his right side.

Hennessy gets a little sick, both from the food and of the idea of Earl having carnal relations with Edna. Tex, meanwhile, comments the food is "fit for an Indian".

Jane greets Edna as well, but Edna notes she doesn't carry any of "those spicy pepper dishes", calling Jane "Senorita". Jane says she brought her own spices, and takes out her flask from her cleavage and takes a drink.

Edna tells Jane she needs to get herself right with the Lord. Tex encourages Edna to preach to her. Edna tells Jane she should go down to the tent revival and listen to Preacher Quentin, saying "he knows the way".

Turning their attention away from Edna and back to their previous discussion, Tex says "Cap" will need to come up with a plan. Jane isn't so sure Pickens got to his position by merit.

Tex asks Squantum more about his vision. The Indian says they must protect the town from bad men. Hennessy notes that is the sheriff's office, but Squantum says the sheriff is one weak man and they are a strong band of warriors. Jane notes there is at least one other deputy in town, but admits he is terrible.

Squantum suggests they need some bounty posters to start with. Tex makes sure first that none of them (particularly the Indian) are already wanted men.

Tex suggests they all head back to Jane's bar to get some drinks while Pickens gathers them some wanted posters. He also notes Kilburn at the Golden Nugget Theater might have some work for them. Jane calls Kilburn "muy shady" and warns them not to deal with the man. She mumbles something about being glad his last saloon burned down and hopes the next one will as well.

Squantum elects to head to the Trading Post instead, saying he doesn't drink the fire water. Jane feels it is just as well, since Big Ernie won't let any Indians in anyway.

*** Session 01 - Scene 11 (of 15) ***

When Squantum arrives at the Trading Post, he sees a variety of items for sale – liquor, tobacco, hard tack, Indian beads, feathers, etc. He can tell they must do a fair amount of Indian trade.

The man behind the counter is slumped in a chair off in the corner, apparently drunk. His wife, a rough-looking middle-aged woman with an eyepatch over one eye, comes up to the counter to ask what Squantum wants.

Squantum tells her he needs paper and something to write with. She tells him she supposes they can come up with something. When she asks what he has to trade, he shows her his money.

The woman turns back and kicks the man’s chair saying, “You hear that Ned? This Injun has money. How is it he has money and you don’t have shit?” Ned rouses just enough to tell his wife to shut up, calling her Darla.

Darla produces paper and a pen. She asks Squantum if he knows how to use it. When he indicates he does, she says the cost is $5. He balks at the price, but she insists it’s a very nice pen.

Squantum counter-offers a price of $2, saying he will also do a favor for her. She asks what kind of favor. The Indian says he’s good at scouting, but Darla wants to know what in the hell he thinks she wants tracked. He simply responds, “Never know”.

While the Indian continues to try and convince her having a favored owed is always good, Darla says he must not be from around here. She notices he doesn’t look like the usual Indians they have. He says he comes from far away, at the edge of the world.

Darla asks if he knows anything about the local tribe, the Calouse. She also asks if he knows anything about Blood Feather, the new Injun chief of the Calouse who some folk say is stirring up trouble. Squantum asks if the man is stirring up trouble for her, but Darla tells him she meant up at the fort, calling him stupid.

Squantum is confused what the point is. She angrily tells him the point is to see if he knew anything, saying he isn’t much of a scout if he doesn’t even know about Blood Feather. He tries saying he is new in town, but she tells him to get his pen and get the hell out of there.

*** Session 01 - Scene 12 (of 15) ***

Across town, Sonny Pickens heads into the Whitman County Sheriff's Office to look for wanted posters. It is a small building with a few jail cells. Currently there appears to only be one inmate there, a trustee who is cleaning up the place.

According to the sign on the building, the local sheriff is named Evan Trulock. There is one man there, who gives his name as Deputy Oldman. He asks what he can help Sonny with.

Sonny says he was looking for the wanted posters. Oldman is a little surprised, asking Sonny if he is a gunslinger as he doesn't look like one. Pickens says he is just curious.

Oldman points out the three posters they have. The first is of Billy McLaughlin and the McLaughlin gang. Billy has a $250 bounty on his head, with $125 for each of his gang. Oldman notes they haven't been seen around lately. Apparently, the gang is wanted for killed a trader named Winslow Richardson and his son, Wesley.

The next poster is quite unusual, and Oldman says it is for someone only known as "Iron Face". Apparently, he wears some kind of iron mask and robs banks. According to local legends, he's said to not be killed by bullets. Oldman himself believes it's all a bunch of horse manure. Pickens wonders if they shouldn't try aiming at the man's chest instead of his head.

The final poster is for a couple of locals, "Big Brendan" Pellerin and "Mad Dog Marcus" Seelau. They have a bounty of $50 apiece (alive), wanted for some local mischief.

Pickens feels the two local boys would be easiest for the group to start with, but he sketches out a copy of all three of the wanted poster. With his steady hand, he comes up with a great sketch that is almost identical.

*** Session 01 - Scene 13 (of 15) ***

Everyone is well into their drinking at Ernie’s Tavern when Pickens comes back with the copy of the wanted poster. Jane in particular is quite drunk at this stage, inviting “Captain Pickens” to come have a drink and talking about what a great man Big Ernie is.

Pickens spreads out the posters and everyone looks at them. They also look around to make sure none of the men are already in the bar; they aren’t.

Tex points out Squantum isn’t around yet, but Pickens says he saw him outside. He reminds him the Indian doesn’t drink, but Tex grabs two drinks and heads outside anyway.

Outside, Tex tries to get Squantum to drink some saying it is medicine. Squantum sniffs at it, and says it is “bad medicine”.

After their banter, Tex asks Squantum if he learned anything. He says he did, learning about the bad Indian Blood Feather causing trouble out at the fort.

Tex stumbles back inside, telling them about it but jumbling up some of the facts in his drunken stupor. He wants to head down to the fort to look for the wanted criminals and kill Blood Feather, hoping that will have a reward as well. Earl (half-seriously) suggests they could always kill Squantum and claim he was Blood Feather.

But, since the fort is a few days away no one thinks they are ready for that yet. Franklin decides to talk with Big Ernie, asking him about the guys on the wanted poster.

Ernie says he hasn’t seen the guy with the steel face. He hasn’t seen the McLaughlin gang either, but he has heard of them. He is familiar with Big Brendan and Mad Dog Marcus, though.

Hennessy asks if they ever come in the bar. Ernie says no, but does note the Frese boys, Timmy and Tommy from next door (referring to the Frese Carpentry shop) sometimes hang out with them and cause trouble.

Some discussion ensues about what to do next, with Franklin wanting to go question the Frese boys. Tex isn’t so sure that’s the best plan since they likely won’t rat them out easily. They ask Pickens what they should do next.

The plan takes a long time to formulate, as Jane, Franklin, Tex, and Pickens all have a different idea on what to do. They eventually decide the best idea is to have Squantum watch the house and follow the boys if they leave while they all sit in the bar and drink / wait.

Squantum asks what boys to look for, getting Franklin to realize they don’t actually know what the Frese boys look like. He also is curious how he is to inform them when he spots the boys as he can’t go in the bar. He points out that looking for boys he doesn’t know then yelling into bar that the boys are leaving is likely to alert them.

After Squantum mocks the plan as not being very smart, Hennessy eventually agrees to stay with him. Squantum tells him it is OK, saying Captain Pickens isn’t very smart either. The Indian tells Hennessy he will help both of them.

Before they head out, Pickens shows Squantum the poster of Mad Dog Marcus and Big Brendan. They still don’t know what the Frese boys look like, though. Jane suggests they could just grab the first people that look similar who leave the carpentry shop (or the apartment above) and beat them until they provide information.

Squantum is sure he can get information from them, but wants to know what they look like. Jane asks Earl if he knows the boys. But since he spends most of his time, he hasn’t actually caught sight of them yet. Earl does note they vandalized his shack a couple of times with horse manure. Earl does know they are young, around 12 years old. He also knows they are twins, and blond.

Outside the back of Frese Carpentry, Squantum hangs out near the front door and keeps an eye out for young blond boys. Franklin does the same near the back door. Jane stays at work behind the counter, with Tex and Earl drinking at the counter as well. Pickens heads back over to the livery to catch up on his horseshoeing.

*** Session 01 - Scene 14 (of 15) ***

Later that evening, Franklin spots a couple of blond youths sneaking out a window in the back of the carpentry shop. He calls out the signal to Squantum.

Meanwhile, back in the bar, Deputy Sullivan shows up looking for anyone who is drunk. Jane and Earl are both clearly drunk on their feet which he notices immediately when they greet him.

Sullivan threatens to run them both in. As he's moving in to arrest them, Tex asks him what he can do to help make it go away. Sullivan clearly does not want to be bribed.

Jane is ready to submit, but Big Ernie isn't having any of it. He comes over to yell. One of Sullivan's friends comes over from the pool table, cue still in hand. Shoving ensues, and the man breaks the pool cue over Ernie's back. And just like that, a large brawl breaks out in the bar between Big Ernie and his supporters and Sullivan and his.

Throwing drunken insults along with her punches, Jane grabs another pool cue from the table and immediately attacks the man who struck Big Ernie. Earl tries to slink back from the brawl while Tex turns to punch the guy nearest him.

Jane swings too wide with her pool cue and misses. The man swings back, hitting her with a glancing blow. Tex doesn't have much better luck with his punch, but avoids getting hit himself.

Meanwhile, Earl stumbles drunkenly into another man, who proceeds to smash him over the head with a bottle. Earl hits him back with a clip to his chin.

The man with the pool cue hits Jane again with a hard blow. She tries to respond but he blocks it.

Tex punches the man nearest him with a solid hook and gets a glancing hit across his jaw in return.

Earl ducks under another punch while Jane continues to stick-fight with her opponent, blocking his latest shot. Tex, however, is hit with a solid haymaker.

Jane lunges in with a solid strike across the man's forehead. He stumbles back in response.

Earl throws a hook to the body of his man, while Tex uses the old one-two to get his man on the ropes.

The man smacks Jane in the knee with the pool cue, causing some swelling and she misses with her swing. Tex and Earl, however, manage to avoid more hits but don't have any better luck hitting the men back.

The next blow of the pool cue hits Jane in the eye. She raps the man's knuckles with her cue in response.

Her nearby uncle also takes a short punch to the stomach. He responds with a short jab of his own.

Tex takes a jab in the face again. He catches the man in the shoulder.

Jane pokes the man in the ribs with her next strike. Meanwhile, Earl throws a wild haymaker that stumbles the man on him.

Another smack in the face to Tex starts to wear him down. He misses with a lunge back.

Forcing the pool cue upward, Jane smashes the chin of her man. He jabs her with an elbow in response.

Tex gets another punch in on his man as well. Earl tries for his, but misses and is hit with a counter-punch.

Another hit to the midsection on Tex staggers him. He gets a light jab in himself. In the back, Earl knocks out the man he's fighting with a wild haymaker.

Jane feels a rib crack as the man smacks her again with a pool cue. Earl grabs a nearby bottle and heads over to help.

Meanwhile, Tex gets in a solid combination on his man. He throws a punch back and catches Tex in the chest.

Jane takes another glancing hit as well. She jabs him in the head with her pool cue, knocking him out. She spits on him in victory.

Tex is nearly unconscious, being slowly beat down by his opponent. He can't seem to get his punch in. he eventually slips the man's jab and hits him with a cross, knocking him out.

Around this time, Deputy Sullivan fires his gun into the floor to get everyone to stop. He threatens to arrest everyone, but tells Ernie he'll settle it up with the sheriff later. He and his friends then leave.

*** Session 01 - Scene 15 (of 15) ***

Outside, Squantum and Hennessy track the Frese boys back to a shack on the north side of town, unaware of the brawl going back at the tavern. Since Squantum is the scout, he follows the boys closely while Hennessy trails behind.

Once they are inside the shack, Squantum moves up quietly to the shack and listens. He can hear several voices inside; they appear to be playing cards.

Looking in a knothole on the side of the shack, he can see the Frese boys gambling with two tall, large muscled, rough-looking men in their late teens to early twenties who appear to be Mad Dog Marcus and Big Brendan.

Squantum comes back a ways and motions for Hennessy to come over. He tells him the men they want are inside the shack.

The Indian wants to light a fire on the shack then bushwack the men when they come out. Hennessy wants to go get the others. Squantum isn’t so sure, saying they are all very drunk and not very smart. He also notes they have guns. Hennessy reminds him there is no bounty if the men end up dead so they need to make sure they get them to surrender and avoid a gunfight.

Hennessy heads back to get the others. He tells Squantum to follow them if they leave. Luckily, the men don’t leave before the barber makes it back with the others (who he is surprised to see are now looking beat up).

On the way back, Hennessey explains the plan. Tex isn’t so sure about the fire, not wanting to burn down the town (again).

Earl suggests they use a rope to try and trip the men on their way out. Tex likes that idea, though notes one of Earl’s bear traps could work even better. Earl says he’d have to hike back up to his claim for that, saying he’s not dumb enough to carry big equipment with him wherever he goes.

When they reach the shack, Earl and Jane put the rope across the door, ready to pull it tight. Squantum goes to start the fire while Pickens stands ready with his bowie knife and tomahawk next to Hennessy with his knife and derringer. For his part, Tex stands a few feet back and starts swinging his lasso.

Once the fire starts, commotion begins inside. The door swings open and everyone rushes out. Unfortunately, Earl can’t keep ahold of the rope very well and it rips straight out of his hands.

Timmy and Tommy start running for it while Mad Dog Marcus and Big Brendan go for their guns.

Franklin rushes forward, intending to tackle Mad Dog. As he does so, Jane drops the rope and draws her Colt Peacemaker.

Big Brendan draws his gun just as Tex’s lasso goes around him and pulls tight. Franklin then slams into Mad Dog Marcus, pinning his gun arm down. He elbows Hennessy in the face with his free arm in response.

Jane points her gun at Mad Dog, telling him to surrender. She really wants to kill the man, but holds back for the sake of the others.

Earl takes the rope and starts over to tie up Mad Dog. Squantum, having rushed back from around the corner, goes up to Marcus to hit him in the head with his rifle butt.

It doesn’t take long to get both men under control. They put the fire out then haul the men over to the jail.

Tex insists Squantum, Hennessy, and Pickens take the men in since the rest of them were in the bar fight with the other deputy.

Deputy Oldman is surprised to see Pickens come back with the men. He asks if he’ll be back with Iron Mask next. Pickens tells him to wait and see.

Oldman throws the men in a cell and gives him a note for the bank for $100. Pickens is happy he led the team to their first successful bounty hunt.

*** Session 01 - Session Notes ***

Yes, there was quite the delay from the prologue until now. Basically, the next session after the prologue I came down with a very bad cold and we had to cancel. Then, two weeks ago we had the first official session, but I've been busy and haven't had a chance to type up the notes until now. The next session is this Friday.

In the notes, I included the background information I pryed out of the players for the characters. I really wanted the first session to be about how they all came together and what they wanted to do so I can focus the rest of the campaign around that.

As I think I mentioned before, Quebrada Cruz is based on a real small town I lived in for several years (6th grade to HS graduation). Many of the NPCs are inspired by/named after real people there, along with most of the businesses.

Random notes about the session:
* The only name on One-Eyed Earl's character sheet is "One-Eyed Earl". I gave him the surname of Plissken in the write-up as a joke reference to Kurt Russell's character in Escape from New York since he, too, had only one eye.

* The note about "Quebrada Cruz" is a reference to the fact I'm using a rough translation there. I also want the name to pull double-duty, the town is intended to be a corrupt cesspool in addition to being at an important crossroads.

* The real town I based Quebrada Cruz on was also originally two towns (with those names) that merged after a fire. However, it is actually located in a Lincoln County, but I thought that opened up other problems with the whole actual Lincoln County in New Mexico where Billy the Kid was active.

* The Kilburns, McReddy, Tibbs, Preacher, the sheriff and Deputy Oldman, and a few other characters who haven't shown up yet are adopted from the default town for Coyote Trail. I thought that game had a lot of great ideas in it (even if ultimately I preferred the Boot Hill rules).

* I debated whether or not to include yet another Chinese Tong storyline in my game (after already using it for both Cthulhubusters campaigns) but it feels like it belongs well enough. Side note - I was originally going to have Quebrada Cruz be much smaller of a town, but since I needed a couple dozen Chinese immigrants for a Chinatown area I bumped up the town population to make sure the Chinese were still a relatively small minority. I now have the population listed as 591.

* Eddie's is a real restaurant in another small town I lived in (until we moved into the one I based Quebrada Cruz on). I actually went back there a couple of years ago and had lunch.

* Ernie's Tavern and the associated family are based on a friend of mine from high school (naturally, I'm changing the personalities here to make it more interesting for a game). His dad really did get in a fight with a guy in the tavern who hit him with a pool cue once (sadly, he passed away from cancer some years back). He did have a bit of a beef with a local cop, Officer Sullivan, but that was a completely unrelated thing and never escalated beyond complaining in real life.

* The whiskey salesman on the train with Sonny is a character from the film Stagecoach. He may or may not show up again later in a plotline taken from that film. Spoke Falls is the name I'm given to the game's version of the big city in the area in real life.

* I came up with an old prospector named Tex before the PCs created their characters. So it was kind of funny he ended up using two clichés used by the PCs.

* Anyone who knows geography will quickly realize the placement and topography of Quebrada Cruz makes no sense. I claim dramatic license; I wanted to use as much as possible from the real locations in the Pacific Northwest.

* In real life, the Black Bear Hotel was actually the Black Bear Motel, originally just a dumpy motel on the outskirts of town. However, in years past it has been renovated with the more "Western" theme, so I thought the same should be done with the fictional Hotel.

* The owner of the motel uses one of my favorite (obnoxious) GM devices, the obnoxious NPC who will drone on and on about mindless blather until the PCs finally stop him. I'm not sure why it always takes them so long to catch on.

* Careful readers will notice Elwood is claiming a connection to the events of The Revenant among other things.

* Many, many jokes were had at the expense of the Pickens player for choosing to haul his anvil around town. We weren't even sure such a thing would be possible, but figured it was worth the humor to give a little license for it.

* In real life, Mick's is a car lot and Mick isn't Russian. But I thought that would be funnier and it gave me a chance to use my "Moose and Squirrel" style Russian accent.

* The Pickens player's off-hand remark about knowing what it's like to eat horse from being in the war was a great example of the times where that player says something without thinking that is funny and fitting for the character.

* I thought the Squantum player came up with an interesting backstory that continues his theme of mocking traditional stereotypes through absurdity while at the same time coming up with a reason for the campaign.

* In real life, the Assay Office is the Soil Conversation Service building. El Ranchito is naturally a Mexican restaurant. For the maximum adventure potential, I have Quebrada Cruz located very close to the Mexican border so it has a fair number of Hispanic citizens as well as Whites and Native Americans.

* The local Native Americans in the campaign area are the "Calouse" tribe, a fake tribe I created solely for the game (for the obvious reasons).

* Jane pegging Squantum with the bottle was the result of a very bad roll. It was also one of the funniest moments of the game and inadvertently served to get people together quicker.

* Since the Tex player never gave him a real name or bothered to come up with much of a background, I filled in some of the gaps myself in the write-up. His name comes from two variations of the player's last name.

* The Stockland Livestock Auction is a real place, but it's not going to rival Dodge City any time soon.

* We'll have to have Hennessy find Scamps in the game for sure. Note that Tex also has a dog companion (named "Dog"), he just hasn't come up yet.

* The Old Spanish Mission is actually where the Catholic Church in town is. I have the Davenport Saloon placed on the site of the Baptist Church.

* Chuck a Luck is apparently a real game - I got the details out of the Aces & Eights book. Hennessy getting tricked into playing Three Card Monte was even better.

* Skagg's Cash Store is on the site of the local Safeway grocery store (the chain of stores in real life had that name originally).

* Squantum faces a lot of racism, but that was well-known to the player before the game started. He thought it would add a nice challenge for the group.

* There were actually multiple OOC jokes during the session using the "missing his privates" line.

* It's kind of strange how everyone more or less goes along with Squantum's Indian visions, but then most of the characters listed themselves as agnostic so I suppose they can still be superstitious (Jane is a "Magical Catholic" but everyone else opted to have their character be irreligious, even players who are quite faithful).

* Edna's Chow House is based on Edna's Diner in real life. Actually, I've based other diners off of Edna's Diner in the Cthulhubusters campaigns as well. Though this time I do include the Ten Commandments reference (the diner in real life had a poster of them on the wall).

* The woman with the eye patch is another character inspired by a real person (at least the missing eye part is, the personality is made up for the game just like all the other NPCs). The Trading Post is a gas station in real life.

* The McLaughlin gang is another Coyote Trail plot to come up later.

* Iron Mask is taken from the old Marvel cowboy comics. Expect him to show up later as well.

* Big Brendan and Mad Dog Marcus were based on the kids of two of the players. By naming NPCs after their own children, I figured we had a better chance of avoiding too much mayhem straight off. The Frese boys are based on a couple of kids I knew.

* The big brawl at Ernie's Tavern was a planned thing. The PCs were careful not to assault the deputy directly (as that would have landed them in jail). We still have a hard time with brawls using different rules from gun fights (particularly since it is the only time you want to roll high to hit).

* The plan to capture the bad guys was pretty good and went off without too much of a hitch. But next time they'll have to step up their game as more capable crooks have things like lookouts.










*

*** Session 02 - Cast of Characters ***

Jane "Throwy" Deer: A 34 year old Hispanic woman from California. She's very tough and known for throwing knives. She's also related to Earl somehow.

"Tex": A 29 year old cowboy from Texas. He has a dog named "Dog" and a horse named "Tonto" and carries lots of guns.

Squantum: A 27 year old Indian scout of an undetermined tribe. He's tough, if strange, and is hideously scarred.

Sonny Pickens: A 34 year old blacksmith from Kansas. He's a large, tough man and served as a sergeant during the war.

Franklin Hennessy: A 45 year old barber from Maine. He's also quick with a knife or a pocket pistol.

*** Session 02 - Scene 1 (of 5) ***

After collecting their bounty, everyone decides to retire for the evening. Earl heads back to his shack in the canyon while Sonny heads back to the livery with their horses. Tex, Hennessy, and Squantum still need a place to stay so Jane offers to lead them back over to the Black Bear Hotel since they haven’t been on that side of town yet.

As they make their way past the livery, they hear the bray of a donkey. Up ahead on the street, two men appear to be having some difficulty getting it to move along.

Tex sizes the men up as a couple of rough-looking men. One appears to be taller and younger, the other a bit shorter and in his early thirties. But what really interests Tex is the blanket on the back of the donkey with a rather large load; the one that appears to be roughly body-shaped.

He quietly tells his companions the two men appear to be clandestinely hauling a body. Jane notices the men appear to be headed over to the Chinatown area though they themselves are certainly not Chinese.

Since the men haven’t noticed the four of them yet, Tex has them spread out a little.  Hennessy asks about getting Sarge, but Tex says there isn’t time; they’d surely lose the men if they left.

Squantum maneuvers himself around in the dark to try and get ahead of the men. Tex impulsively heads over to talk to the men while Hennessy and Jane keep their distance.

As Tex announces himself and asks if they need help, the smaller man tells him they are fine and to mind his own business. Acting somewhat drunk (which isn’t too much of a stretch as he spent the whole day drinking), Tex continues to approach the men saying they have the reins too tight on the donkey.

The man again tells Tex to go away if he knows what’s good for him. Tex isn’t deterred, saying maybe their load is too big and they need to lighten it. The smaller man opens his coat to reveal a pistol on his belt, suggesting he may lighten that particular load if Tex doesn’t move along.

In the dark, Squantum moves over to some barrels nearby and braces his rifle. He’s ready to shoot the men if anyone goes for their gun.

Tex tries to act even drunker, saying he doesn’t want to cause any trouble but just wanted to help. The larger man starts heading over to Tex. Tex positions himself so the large men is between him and the man with the gun.

Jane starts running towards the larger man at full speed. Hennessy stays back at a distance.

Using one of the whiskey bottles she has with her, Jane smashes it into the side of the large man’s head while calling him a gringo. He staggers, but doesn’t go down.

Tex draws his gun and tells the other man not to pull his. Back across the street, Squantum aims for the man’s gun arm.

The smaller man moves to make a run for it while his larger companion calls Jane a “crazy Mexican bitch” and tries to punch her. She easily ducks the first blow, but he follows it up with an uppercut that catches her. She jabs him back.

As the other man tries to head into the residential area on that side of the street, Hennessy runs after him. Squantum fires off a shot into the man’s leg. He drops to the ground.

Just as Hennessy reaches the man, he rolls over with his gun drawn. Squantum tries to quickly dispatch him, but misses with his shot. The man proceeds to shoot the barber in the stomach as he attempts to throw his hat at the man. Hennessy falls to the ground, unconscious and bleeding out.

Tex puts his gun up to the larger man’s head and tells him to stop. He tries to grab Tex’s gun. The gun goes off in the struggle but doesn’t hit anyone. Jane steps back out of the way.

Squantum fires another shot off at the man on the ground but misses, distracted by Hennessy’s screams of pain. The man crawls away while firing his gun wildly.

Tex also can’t get his gun aimed on the man he’s struggling with. Jane, however, from a couple of steps away easily shoots the man in the shoulder with her Colt Peacemaker.

The larger man tries to hobble his way away. Tex grabs him with his lasso before he can get too far, but Jane isn’t in the mood to take any prisoners. She fires a shot into his chest, killing him. Tex takes his rope back.

Meanwhile, Squantum and the man on the ground exchange more gunfire as he crawls his way behind one of the buildings. When he gets out of sight, Squantum rushes over to finish the man at close range.

However, the man is hiding around the corner, waiting. He gets the drop on Squantum, firing a shot but misses. Squantum misses with a shot as well. The next shot from the man hits the Indian in the stomach. Like Hennessy, he falls to the ground with a serious wound, unconscious in a pool of blood.

Tex hears the shots go off. He runs around to find the man trying to get away. He fires off a shot and misses. The man turns to fire back, but he’s out of bullets. He starts reloading. Tex shoots him in the chest, then walks up and finishes him off with another.

Back in front, Jane cuts off some of Hennessy’s clothes into strips and uses them as bandages while praying. She gets him bandaged up enough to stop much of the bleeding.

Tex applies similar measures back in the alley to save Squantum, using some of the strange powders the Indian carries on his belt.

Jane gets the bodies of Hennessy and Squantum ready, saying they will need to get them to Doc Nichol’s place right away if they are to survive.

Tex quickly rummages through the dead men’s belongings, taking their guns and bullets but finding little else on them.

As Tex is stealing from the dead men, Deputy Sullivan approaches and asks what’s going on. Tex explains they found these men with a donkey carrying a body on it.

Sullivan looks around, saying he doesn’t see any donkey. Tex and Jane notice the animal must have ran off once the fight broke out, which Tex explains to Sullivan.

Tex goes on to say how the men attacked them and shot their friends for no reason. Sullivan isn’t buying it and arrests them, saying the sheriff will sort it all out. It’s fairly clear he believes they just committed a bunch of murders.

Jane goes against her nature and decides not to kill Sullivan. As he is taking their weapons, Sonny Pickens (who heard the shots from his loft in the livery) arrives on the scene. Sullivan tells him to get some men to take Hennessy and Squantum up to Dr. Nichols as they are seriously injured, though notes it isn’t necessary to spend too much time trying to save the Indian.

Tex tries to convince the deputy to go look for the donkey, but he just says he’ll focus on finding them a nice cell. Tex mutters they may not find a donkey but they certainly found an ass.

Sonny does so, spending the night helping the doctor perform surgery on the men in his home. Tex gets thrown in a cell with Jack Blisters, the local trustee doing a six month stretch for trying to fight the sheriff while drunk. Jane gets her own cell, glad not to be sharing one with Tex.

*** Session 02 - Scene 2 (of 5) ***

The next morning, Sheriff Evan Trulock lets them out. He says there must have been a misunderstanding the previous night. Since one of his deputies locked them up but the other paid them for a bounty on Big Brendan and Mad Dog (pointing to the men in the third cell), he figures they didn't just decide to commit murder.

Trulock also says a donkey wandered into town this morning with a dead body on it, backing up their story. Tex asks about who the body was.

The sheriff identifies the older of the two men they shot as William "Trick" Holloway, a known rustler and horse thief wanted out of Montana for bank robbery. The larger, younger man he says was named Jim Horner, out of California; he was also suspected of a recent robbery.

Tex notes Jane (calling her his "lady friend") thought the men appeared to be heading over to Chinatown. The sheriff makes an assumption about the relationship between Tex and Jane, which Jane is quick to correct him on. Tex explains he was just using Southern courtesy, as she's his friend and a lady. Trulock isn't so sure she's a "lady" exactly.

As for the dead man on the donkey, Trulock identifies him as Curtis Tibbs. Jane recognizes that as being one of the men who was working the claim site next to Earl. The sheriff asks Jane where her uncle is and she says he is probably up prospecting. The sheriff says he'll have to send a deputy up to look for him, since he might have seen something.

The sheriff asks if they know any reason why the men may have gone after Tibbs. Jane recalls that Tibbs and McReady recently thought they discovered silver on their claim. Tex agrees, they were likely trying to jump the claim.

Tex inquires across any bounty on the men. The sheriff says he'll send it over to Doc Nichols, as they will likely owe him a fair bit of money for saving the lives of their friends. He'll let the doctor give them whatever is left over.

Back at the doctor's, after a long night Dr. John Nichols explains the two men will live, though he's worried about infections. He tells Pickens they will need to rest somewhere for a few weeks while they heal up.

Pickens wants to leave them at the doctor's house, but he doesn't keep patients there. Nichols asks Sonny if there is a place they can stay to recuperate. Sonny offers the hay loft at the livery, but the doctor suggests that would be a very bad idea as they'd likely get infected since it won't be very sanitary.

The doctor suggests Sonny get them a room somewhere instead. He agrees he could get them a room over at the Black Bear Hotel. The doctor says that is a much better idea, he could even hire a Chinese woman to look after them as a nurse.

Sonny takes the doctor's advice, hiring old man Guthrie's wagon to haul the men down to the hotel from the doctor's office at the north end of town.