Deadlands, Part III

So, I previously mentioned this Deadlands game.  I missed the second session, but returned for the third.

Here's the lowdown.

I'm the old priest, Father Alexander Seward, and I'm sitting in the police station in St. Louis, answering questions regarding the death of the other old priest on the train.  I'm held there for a day or so.  During that time, there's an earthquake and a hustle of activity.

Finally, sometime after nightfall, the Sergeant returns with the bloodied remnants of what can only be our esteemed Southern lady, Ruby O'Flahertie.  She is unconscious.  The Sergeant lays her on a table and flits into the back room, presumably to get some stuff.

In the quote that busted up the room, I "get up, go over to her, look around like I'm about to tell a racist joke, and lay on hands."  After spending a red Fate Chip, I make the roll and she's good as new.  The Sergeant runs back out and starts slapping bandages on her, telling me to apply pressure, and running to get a doctor — all before I can explain that her horribly mangled arm and torso were "just flesh wounds."

So I wait, and cast succor to bring her back to consciousness.  She starts freaking out before I calm her down, and I learn that the group was attacked by these large maggots with tentacles on their faces (which I think I recognize out-of-character, but am not yet sure — it's bad news if they are what I think they are, though).  I also learn that the drifter (Jake, just Jake) and the journalist (David Hood) were both out there, and did not return.  There's also another minor freakout as the Ruby realizes her belly button is gone (it's possible that I accidentally healed the umbilical scar — oops).

After deciding to wait for the Sergeant and the Doctor, we'll go look for them.  The Sergeant and the Doctor return in a frenzy of activity before I can explain that all is well.  The Sergeant moves, wordlessly, into the bowels of the station while the Doctor leaves.  I walk Ruby to her hotel.

We get prepared to ride.  We see the Sergeant, who is preparing to go to the salt mines and tells us not to follow.  After he leaves our sight, we promptly disobey his recommendation.

Meanwhile, Jake and David were captured by bandits who seem to know something about all four of us.  They are tied and blindfolded, and pretty much any movement from the pair is considered threatening.  A gunfight breaks out at the mouth of the cave.  Jake tries to move so that his hexslingin' is less obvious, but the spell fizzles and one of the bandits sees the movement.  He says he's going to amputate Jake's fingers to keep him from doing that again.

About this time, Father Seward and Ruby arrive at the cave mouth.  Ruby stays on the mule, but I start shuffling for the cave entrance.  After being shot a couple of times and seeing this weird lightning light up the cave (it's Jake, successfully casting his black lightning spell), I move back out.  Jake manages to subdue all the bandits through intimidation or judicious use of magical lightning and earthquakes (while tied and blindfolded, mind you).  When all is quiet, I enter the cave and proceed to start untying people (who need little help at this point).  Then, the rumbling starts.  We try to run.

The horrid worm things (which, yes, are rattlers, and if you don't fear the word, you certainly should) fan out to kill one of the bandits who ran.  The rest of us are almost to our horses (which is to say, my mule and the Sergeant's horse; the other horses are apparently dead) when the big worm appears, and almost everyone faints (except for David).

Not only is that where we left off, but I ended up writing way more about that session than I expected.  Ah, well.  Expect more feverish rambling throughout the weekend.