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Post by araman on Nov 19, 2015 7:22:59 GMT -5
Jeremiah will ride to the back of the church, checking for tracks and looking for doors or windows that can be used as an escape route. He'll also see if there are any worn trails leading to or from the church.
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Post by vladtaltos on Nov 19, 2015 10:21:35 GMT -5
Beck hitches Abby to the post at the church, as Jeremiah comes up the hill on his horse, trailing slightly behind his partner. Gar tries the front door, indeed finding it locked, as Jeremiah brings his horse to a stop and starts to look about for fresh tracks leading to or from the church. However...
No sooner has Gar discovered the front door is locked, when a loud bang is heard and a bright light comes to life, both from behind the church.
* * * * * *
Jones, the above happens before you had time to complete (or really even begin) your look for tracks, or the subsequent action of riding behind the church, so I'm stopping here.
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Post by araman on Nov 19, 2015 13:18:07 GMT -5
Jeremiah will spur his horse and ride at a 90 degree angle from the side of the church until he is can see the source of the light, is beyond the radius of the light or about 50-75 yards out and then turn so he can see the backside of the church.
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Post by vladtaltos on Nov 19, 2015 15:22:01 GMT -5
<The church sits on a hill. To enact his plan, Jeremiah would have to descend the hill the church sits on, at which point seeing what's behind the church would be out of his line of sight from both the obstruction of the hill itself and the bushes on the right side of the church (see pic).
He can try to ride furtively along the church's right side, and go around the bushes or peer through them to see what's behind the church, but to do so he would be in the splash of light, or...
He can ride quite a distance out, 50-60 yards, until he rides up another hill. From the top of this hill he can probably see something of what's behind the church, but it will put him in a position where it will take some time to return to where he is now, given the terrain and darkness.>
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Post by darkscar on Nov 19, 2015 17:24:02 GMT -5
Beck nodded when the lights came on at his touch of the doorknob. He saw Jones surveying the terrain, deciding on a course of action. "It don't matter, Mr. Jones. He knows we're here. Both of us." He walks around the side of the house. "Let's go talk to him." He wondered how much talking there would be, as he walked a straight line toward the back of the church.
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Post by araman on Nov 20, 2015 8:53:34 GMT -5
Jeremiah rides alongside of the church with Beck.
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Post by vladtaltos on Nov 20, 2015 9:59:06 GMT -5
Beck walks alongside the church; Jones rides next to him. There's the narrowest of foot paths between the brush and the church, forcing you to sweep aside weeds and branches to clear room, Jones moreso on the back of a horse--he more or less has to force his way through the tangles. When you break free of the greenery, you find yourself on a narrow strip of land. A rough staircase of stone leads down to an area surrounded by a picket fence--the church's cemetery. Standing on the other side of the picket fence is a solitary figure in black. To his right, your left (off camera) you see a horse fully loaded with gear. Freshly dug mounds of dirt dot the cemetery's grounds. The bang you heard earlier, you realize, was the slamming shut of the cemetery gate. The light comes from the top of a lamppost. The next thing you hear is his bass voice. Calm. Emotionless. "Good evenin', Sinners. Don't ya know the church is closed?" "Good evenin', Sinners..."* * * * * * Jones, your position is tight. The church is on your back and an embankment immediately in front of you. The steps are about eight feet to The Seekers' left. You realize being on horseback isn't ideal here, your freedom of movement jeopardized. But don't let me influence you...
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Post by araman on Nov 20, 2015 15:08:00 GMT -5
As Jones dismounts, he says, "Good evening, the churches I know ain't never closed. And the preachers are always there to help you."
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Post by vladtaltos on Nov 20, 2015 22:57:21 GMT -5
He peers your way, Jones. From where you stand his eyes are unsettling black dots in a pale white face. "Perhaps you haven't heard. I've been dismissed from my duties here." With a thumb he indicates his horse. "I now head for other, greener pastures. Unless you desire somethin', I'll be headin' out."
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Post by darkscar on Nov 21, 2015 16:55:52 GMT -5
"Mr. August Pike, I'm Marshal Gar Beck, this is Marshal Jones. You're under arrest for the destruction of livestock and private property." He notices the fresh mounds of dirt in the cemetery. "And for the removal of corpses from their places of eternal rest. I doubt my handcuffs will hold you. I doubt a jail will hold you. Is there a chance, Mr. Pike, even a small chance, that you will surrender yourself to us peacefully..."
He walks to the top of the steps leading to the cemetery, "... or am I gonna have to kill you tonight... Reverend?"
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Post by vladtaltos on Nov 22, 2015 17:15:14 GMT -5
Pike's tone remains calm and emotionless. "Those are some heinous charges, Marshal. I suppose you have ample evidence of my crimes? As for killing me, I'm an unarmed man." He holds up his arms, and opens the flaps of his black jacket. "I have no weapons. Is it your idea to gun me down in cold blood?"
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Post by darkscar on Nov 23, 2015 10:31:06 GMT -5
"Reverend, let's quit the pretense. You are a practitioner of black magic, and a highly skilled practitioner of black magic at that. You are more than capable of defending yourself bare-handed, even against bullets. As for the evidence, my accusations are based on what I've seen tonight, and all the evidence points at you.
"It's also my hunch, and I'm a man that operates a lot on hunches, that if--" he looks over his shoulder toward the Peters' home on the other side of Pucket's Gap, "--we were to check on the Peters' family, if we were to go into their house right now we'd find them all ... dead. Mack Peters, his wife, his children. All of them. Dead. So, we can add murder to your list of crimes. Am I right, Reverend?"
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Post by araman on Nov 24, 2015 7:21:05 GMT -5
While Beck and Pike are talking, Jones will move to a good position with his horse in case Pike decides to make a run for it. He'll also look around, 1) in case a fight starts, 2) for any possible "surprises", and 3) for anything unusual or out of place.
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Post by vladtaltos on Nov 24, 2015 9:49:14 GMT -5
He shrugs. "Life, death," he points to the fresh mounds of dirt, "undeath, what's the difference? It's just the passing from one mode of existence, of reality, to another. Are all these people dead, Marshal? Some might say I've done them a favor, a great justice, freeing them from this world. What does this world offer anyway? Disappointment. Sadness. Pain. Hardship. Look at them. What did they come out here for? A ten-by-ten hovel to call their own, to scratch out a meager, hunger-filled living in the dust and dirt. Well, hip hip hooray to that. "But you speak of murder. You've done your due diligence I take it, you have motive, proof?" Pike places his hand on a fence post, and you see... "Life, death, undeath, what's the difference?"
* * * * * * -Jones, roll 3d6 -Stating the obvious here, but Pike isn't as close to you as the photo may indicate--I just thought you might like to know what he looks like, up close, and so you can see his funky tattoo.
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Post by darkscar on Nov 24, 2015 19:38:24 GMT -5
"He had the gall to fire you. That didn't sit well with you, did it, Reverend? There's your motive. It's also my hunch that if we were to check across this plain, go into everyone's home, we'd find a lot more corpses, isn't that right Reverend? Because, after all, none of them came to your support when Mack Peters fired you, did they? So what the hell? Might as well kill them all, too, destroy their livestock and property.
"How many have you murdered tonight, Mr. Pike? Either by your own hands, or by-- "he points to the fresh mounds of dirt," --or by your methods?
"Come peacefully, Mr. Pike, or I'll kill you right now. I swear it."
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