Deadlands, Part XL

When last we left our heroes, the group boarded a train to Albuquerque, from there hoping to travel to Garrison Wells by way of Amarillo.  While en route, the group exorcised the creature from Ruby and Father Seward, acting under the influence of the spirit inside him, stabbed Rufina and kicked her out of the train.

Father Seward gives a cockeyed grin and raises his hands in the air.  Rex draws his gatling pistols and puts several rounds in Seward's chest.

Once Seward is immobile, Rex takes his gun and asks what must be done with him.  As Ollie is still in the corner, and Ruby is curled in the fetal position on the floor, Rex's conversation is largely with David.  David says that he thinks Father Seward should be left alive.  Rex disagrees, saying that puts the whole party at risk.  David says that if Seward is going to save the world and close the Hellgate, it's worth the risk to the party.

Seward is to be left alive.  Rex and David use David's belt to secure his arms.  Then, they sit and await Albuquerque.

About an hour later, Father Seward starts to awaken.  Despite having been overtaken by the demon inside him, he recalls everything.  He tells Rex he's a bad shot, and then rolls off the side of the train.  Rex, unprepared, doesn't grab him in time, but he draws his gatling pistols and starts aiming for Seward's head.  Several rounds are discharged before a blast of scarlet paints the desert and Seward's body slumps to the ground, lifeless.

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Since Father Seward was apparently integral to the Devil's plan, our GM called game there.  Deadlands is finished for now.

So, apparently, Cobb's plan involved becoming mortal and being forgiven so that he could enter Heaven and storm the gates.  He gathered certain people to aid in these affairs: David Hood and Ruby O'Flahertie owned the land surrounding the Hellgate, Father Seward was empowered by God and could actually forgive the Devil of his sins, and Jake was going to take the Devil's place as the new ruler of Hell.  However, the Devil ran into a little snag: as a mortal, he was subject to mortal emotions, and ended up falling in love with Seward's daughter.  When the Indians' ritual involving Seward's daughter didn't work, they savaged her and started carrying her with them as they traveled.  Cobb encountered her again years later and fell in love, taking her from the Indians, raising her as his daughter (and also keeping her around as his lover).  As such, he had developed a genuine interest in saving the world from the growing Hellgate.  Whoopsie daisy.

(Of course, the Devil being the Devil, when given the choice between staying with his lover and declaring war on Heaven, guess which one he'd take.)

Anybody who is interested can go ahead and read Father Seward's backstory.  For the record, he was heavily inspired by Jack Crabb from Little Big Man, and the Preacher from Pale Rider.