The Weird West Chronicles

Once Upon a Time in the Weird West, anarchy reigned supreme.
People were losing hope... in institutions.
Back then.. Corrupted to the bone
There are few who withstand the chaos.
You need either smarts, grit or luck to survive.
and if you have all three... you may even live.
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Recap
An out of control train, the Midnight sword was seen careening down a valley
the bridge is out. Was blown apart moments earlier.

Two figures emerge from the train an eyelash or two earlier. A shadowy man in a trenchcoat
and a teenage superstar-lookalie riding on the back of an enormous snake.

Behind them, three figures all tripple saddled on a large black horse. On the reigns a shiny gnome,
the middle a young man with long black hair and shining armour, and a spectacled lady who seems
too proper and clean to be here in the dirty west.

This posse is chasing a raven who himself was chasing a pack of bats flying towards the Iron Hills.
They lost the bats in the blanket of night. When dawn broke, a dust digger as big as a barn
was entertaining the notion of making this posse its breakfast.

They managed to get away relatively unharmed.. after more journeying to what they soon discover to be the
'The Sinking Sands' they witnessed the rare sight of a pod of Sand Whales....chased by sand sharks.

These sharks being mighty hungry an' all, decided it was far easier pickins to go after the posse
instead. It was dealt with by the raven who was some sort of shifter. Turned to an ork which seemed to
communicate with the beasts. Worth notin that the ork seems to resemble a tree more than an ork. Which
is quite queer considering the locale.

Of course the Ork only dealt with the what we call betas of the frenzy. The orks gifts weren't enough to
persuade the alpha. An altercation took place, but the party was saved by a Keeper. A native woman named
Antinanco. A discussion then took place about direction. Now the posse is now about to start off for
the Atikamekw (Ah ti kah meh Q ) Camp.
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Season 1:Episode 3A

Since we havent played in awhile, can everyone describe their characters?
For the benefit of Darren
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You see before you a native woman. Antinanco, also known as The Watcher. She is the keeper of the
sandwhales. She has dark brown hair adorned with red feathers. Her face has strong masculine features.
Olive green eyes, and dark blue markings on streaked on her eyes, with red markings down her cheeks.

She is wearing nothing but a white skirt-loin cloth. Her body is adorned with red, green and blue tattoos,
geometric patterns (aztecan-navajo hybrid). In her hand is a large harpoon like weapon. Though on her back
she carries both a long bow and two tomahawks. On her waist is a small leather skin pouch.
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From it she takes out a turqoise crystal that glows faintly.
She looks at all of you, whispers into it and takes a few steps back.
A wind from nowhere starts to pick up, it almost has a musical quality to it.
Suddenly, the sand errupts as six giant sand rays appear out of the silky sands.

These rays are big enough for one person to ride it comfortably, they seem to have be slightly translucent
and each has an aura that glows slighlty.
[Each choose one, and each can describe how their rays look like.]

Knowledge religion (DC15) - To know that you must bow and ask their permissions
If not, they seem to want to 'swim' away, but Antinanco goes ahead and talks to them in a tounge that only
Zaid sort of knows. (Dialect - only some words are understandable)

Antinanco approaches Naz's snake mount, and asks him.
"May I?"

She then gives a kiss to (Snake mounts name here), and it slowly turns into a statuette like object.
She does the same to the other horses. One given to Dirinni, and one to Lem.
[for the nerds, this acts as a figurine of wondrous power, choose a command word and that'll turn the statuette
back to normal]
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She looks back to all of you. With a tone of seriousness in her voice
"Beware trevellers, the faster you get out of the Sinking Sands the better.
This desert is not the biggest, yet it is just as dangerous."

*when the player gets on the ray, its translucency is reduced noticably
*As soon as the party mounts, the rays take off.
The desert floor whizzes past your feet [theres a shot of the party from below, sun at your backs as the rays jump over the sand dunes..like a ski jump]
rocks and cacti and even a bison at one point seem to dissappear in an eye beat.
Some cacti have to be dodged, but you soon realise by shifting your weight left and right it does
aid the Rays in avoiding obstacles.
[this speed and freedome is seriously fun]
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Perception check DC15 - a familiar sight appears to the right and left flank of all of you.
The frenzy of sharks has returned.

We will now engage what is known as a skill challenge.
Players will need to convince the GM that a paticular skill your character has
is relevant in doing a particular task or overcoming a particular challenge.

So you will need to describe how it will be done aswell.
*example - There is a cactus smack dab and center to your character, you choose to use the ride skill
to expertly steer the ray away from the cactus and dodge it.

The rules for these are:- You need 8 non-consecutive successes to succeed at the challenge, but only 3 non-consecutive
failures to fail the challenge. You cannot use the same skill as you used the last time, and the next player cannot
use the same skill as the player before them.

Remember you can use items to supplement what you are doing. [for example using your gun to attempt to frighten the sharks]

So all of you are racing your rays through the desert. Sand Sharks surround you.
*roll initiative*
Initiative paints a picture of the position. ((make lem one of the front ones))
If Lem is nat 1, he dies.

A shark appears from beneath and attempts to take a bite at you.
A massive rock formation seems to appear from nowhere due to the speed of the rays.
The rays in an attempt to shake the sharks off, take a sharp left into a cacti forest.
Fins surface around you, they are moving information ahead, like they want to cut you off.
A couple of bigger fins appear out of the sands.
A shark attempts to bite you from beneath, breaching and attempts to push you off your Sand Ray.
A huge sand dune is infront of you, it is steep, and judging from the angle it will be a spectacular jump.
One of the shark appears right in front of you
A huge shark surfaces and is riding side by side you, he attempts to take a side-swipe-bite out of you.
A couple of sharks are infront of you forming a barrier of fins.
You enter a rocky valley.. (loose rocks etc)

*Lem dies here* - Big Alpha shark catches Lems sequined clothing, as the other sharks jump on him.
(let Darren act out the death scene)
The sharks bring dive down into the sand with Lem.
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As the sharks now gone, you get a chance to catch your breath. You can even sit on your rays.
(Let players RP reaction to Lems Death)

As late afternoon descends into early evening. You hear a distant beating of drums. It gets louder and louder
as you see light and smoke from a native camp. This camp is situated ontop of a rocky pleateu separate from the
sinking sands.

This must be the place.

The soft sand transitions into hard rock as you ascend upwards to the camp.
As you arrive, you are greeted by several native men, similar decorations and adornments as Antinanco
though not as much jewelery, feathers nor tattoos. Even their cloths are not white but tan in colour.
Their arrows are pointed at each of you.

From behind them an old elderly man appears. His headpiece
looks like the stylised beak of an bird (one that you've never seen before..though chould be the stylistic choice)
Feathers of red, blue, green and black adorn his headpiece.

"Who are you? Who sent you here?"
"Antinanco..my daughter?"
"Why did she send you here?"

He thinks for a moment. "She must've seen something in all of you. She is not one to invite danger, especially
not into our home". "I am Chief Mapiya, leader of the White Fish tribe"

"Come come.. you may be of some use. In exchange for shelter,food, water and to tend to your wounds."
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He motions all of you to sit by the big fire in the middle of the camp. He seats crossed legged on a platform slightly raised.
It is made of ivory white tree branches.

Sitting next to him is a man, the people tend to the chief, bringing him his pipe, and filling his cup.
But they do not look at the man next to him in the eye, nor do they tend to him.

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You also notice that this man has ears that are slightly pointed and sharp.

(tell darren that he can ask for water and what not, and they will begrudginly do it, after the chief gives them a
stern stare)
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*Let Darren describe his character. Just physical descriptions, or things that can be seen just by looking at him.

Before we talk business, it is our custom to partake in dinner.
He motions for a young girl Ichtaca she has blue stripped markings on her face, only a tatto on her shoulder
and she is carrying some devil grass (long thick grass used for burning).

"Square please prepare a place for them in the hall for them to rest."
"Come bring on the food!" Mapiya then motions again, as more young girls and boys present you with food and drink.

As you eat there are song and dance, and even telling of folklore tales.
These are:-
Monster Slayer, Coyote kills a giant, A Song of Horses
Chief Mapiya eats and drinks but he seems distracted, his eyes aglazed.

At the end of it all as the people descend into a more chilled mode, the sharing of drinks and pipe.
Chief Mapiya sits up straight and addresses all of you.
"So what is it that you do, and why are you here? We rarely get visited by those outside of the Sinking Sands."

"Now we talk business. To return our favour to all of you, I have but one request."
"My son here is of age, and is anxious to see the world. I ask that you take him under your wing, keep him
safe as he trails with all of you"

(See if darren has anything to say)
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Darren brings out an item.
Get Darren to describe how it looks.
He turns it on, and it explodes with ghostly beings seem to come out of it and they crawl like a shadow towards all of you.
The devices starts shaking as soon as it is turned on.
Gasps from the villagers are heard.
-Boom it explodes and the whole camp goes dark-
Before it went dark though, Perception check DCwhatever..(You caught a glimpse of what looked like a giant crow
with a skull for a head behind Namid, as you blink, nothing is there.)

Several screams from some of the villagers, guys and girls alike.
As the shock simmers down, you see a young boy re-light the campfire.
He is a young male squa with brown hair, and green paint across his eyes. Hokk'ee
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Chief Mapiya clears his throat.
"Clearly the boy is gifted if not unrefined. But as the rivers smooth and polish stones.. so to might
the outside world bring to Namid"

"Do you agree?"
"Great.. now enough excitement for me. I shall retire for the moment. Ichtaca (the young girl from before) will show
you to your sleep spots."

The Chief gets up to leave, two muscular people dressed in furs, get up too and follow the chief.
(If they hadn't moved you probably would not have seen them)

Eventually as you all lay to bed, you do realise that you feel a little different. Nothing bad, it feels
like your inner power is somehow stronger.
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Slumber arrives, and you manage to wake up in the middle of the night.
the tribe people are already up and about, with a new campfire roaring in the middle.

You are presented with food.. consisting mostly of maize and a bit of rubbery meat
They also prepared a hot cocoa-coffee drink.
The temperature is cold.

"Before you leave, here take these rations."
"...and also these talismans. These will guide you in times of darkness and to protect you from harm"
The same boy (Hokk'ee) from earlier in the night comes and presents a box with 6 talismans in there.

These cloth talismans are rectangular like an armband, but you can wear them wherever you feel. Sewn in
(in a spectacular way that you can't even grasp how it was done...) are turqoise gems with cracks and
features that seem to slowly shift, as if it were clouds moving along the open plains.

+2 AC, shedding normal light in a 20-foot radius and increasing the light level by one step for an additional 20 feet beyond that area (darkness becomes dim light and dim light becomes normal light)
Worth: 2000gp