2019.10.05 The Ghost Town

The Ghost Town
The Devil's Own gives chase to a pack of Black Spiral ambushers.
IC Date	1881
IC Time	Afternoon (Waxing Gibbous)
Players	Pancake, Branton, Jes, Isla
Location	Somewhere between Prospect and San Francisco
Prp/Tp	Ravenscar
Spheres	Garou, Gaian,

When we last left our intrepid heroes, Devil's Own had walked into the meeting place of the Prospect Chapter of the Enlightened Society of the Weeping Moon as happy as you please, talked their way into some valuable information and proceeded to leave bodies and free formerly enslaved spirits. Then they rushed off into the night, drunk on a gnosis rush to find some horses and head off an ambush waiting for their Frosty Friends.

xxxxxBarefoot and swimming in Isla's indecent dress, Iris tries super hard not to just fly right out of the damned thing while they're skittering away from the SotWM building, hopefully before anything super terrible happens. "So, what's the plan? Are we gunning out for that ghost town, or have we got more important fish to fry elsewhere? I swear I really was paying attention, but I'm not the planner, so."

xxxxxBranton grins at Iris, knowing his role "I'd suggest, strongly, we head for the ghost town and thwart the ambush the baddie was looking to hire us to reinforce."

xxxxxJes points finger-guns at Branton and does pow-pow motions before saying, "Preee-cisely. Time to flip the odds on this rigged game and cavalry in like mofos."

xxxxx"Oh good, cause I was prepping a 'but but our side kicks!' argument, just in case." Iris says, sounding relieved. "So, horse theft or Lupus-running? Either'd work, I'd advocate for horses purely to avoid wearing ourselves out on the run, we can always set them loose and close the distance ourselves on paws. I dunno if it's the best idea, but it might help with energy conservation for beat down purposes."

xxxxxBranton considers "If we get wagon or a stage coach or something I can whip up a blessing of hermes to boost the vehicle's traveling speed. I've been careful with how much power I've been spending so I've still got plenty to spare."

xxxxx"Right. Because that lifetime of my never even having SEEN a horse up close will totally benefit me when it comes to riding a living animal that instinctively knows I'm some sort of fucking super-apex predator," Jes says flatly to Iris before rolling his eyes and puffing on his cigarette again, shaking his head. "Goop, I don't even know how to ride a /bicycle/. I, at least, am fuckin' four-footin' it so I can be sure I get there without relocating my nuts to my sinuses."

xxxxx"Those are just boxes connected to horse butts." Iris points out, "You'd have to make the horses go faster. And shocks haven't been invented yet." She sticks her tongue out at Jes and says, "That's only with trotting. With galloping you move basically the exact same way you do during sex. ...Well. Maybe not *you*." she EYES Jes for a second. "You're passing up a bonafied *cowboy* moment, guys! Ugh, you *suck*." She siiiiiighs as she watches her hopes and dreams of being a bow slinging (cause she don't got guns) cowgirl fly away on the wind!

xxxxxIsla shakes her head, "Riding a horse isnae like sex. Now, if ye cannae ride, I'll ride and ye can hold behind me. I assume Goop Mistress can ride, aye? Two horses - we can go and get it, aye?" She has the horse experience, and has no issue with getting from the horse herself to where they need to go. "Unless Fire Man can make a jet propelled wagon - even the horses can then fly if needed."

xxxxxBranton grins broadly "The spell will recognize it all as a vehicle in total. The gods had chariots and shit, it will all work. And if the apex predators are in the box the horses will be less likely to spook. I know Iris has a specific gift that lets her calm them but from what Jes just said he sure as shit don't."

xxxxx"Yeah, well I'm skipping out on high noon shootouts or dying of dysentery, too, because /this isn't Westworld/, Loco-nut!" Jes retorts to Iris with his hands spread wide, giving her a 'duuuuuh!' face. "We're not on Sergio Leone's Catered Spaghetti Western Vacation. We're here because you pushed me into a fucking clock like it was a Wild West episode of Dr. Fucking Who! So seriously, let's cut the fucking cosplay authenticity jibjab and handle this like the time traveling Terminators we fucking are!"
xxxxxOh, Jes is ON ONE. But then Isla speaks up and he just closes his eyes and rubs his face. OF COURSE she knows how to ride a goddamn horse. OF COURSE she does. "Fine. /FINE/. I'll sit bitch while you Disney us out on a fucking living creature while I wonder if there's some sort of irony in being hung like a horse and also dying falling the fuck off one. Great. Let's go be Bitch Cassidy and the Fundance Kid."

xxxxx"Fuck yeah!" Iris celebrates as non-loudly as possible. Well, kinda, the decision ain't exactly *made* yet. "I'd really rather ride than get thrown around in the back of a wagon flying at top speed over no road and a lot of bumpy shit, personally, but we'll see what we can get our hands on. Also it's a cavelry gift, it works for anyone. Stop being so negative, Jester! Just... think of this as extra credit big-dick experience." Generally not one for theft, Iris is considering pants theft also. It worked for Isla! But mainly, looking to see if there's any unattended equines within sight, or at the very least looking for a good direction to go in.

As Devil's Own searches through the town for transport out, Iris and her super horse sleuthing eyes finds EXACTLY four sturdy looking horses tied in front of a saloon, already saddled. They look well muscled and fierce, but not in that pull a cart way. No, they definitely look like cavalry horses.

xxxxxIsla will look over the horses found by Iris, and quietly check out the best one for each of them. She would offer help to any without horse experience before saddling up herself.

xxxxxSince he's not going to ride but he IS the Ragabash of this motley crew, Jes helps with the sneaking and subterfuge, both keeping a lookout and helping with the practical side of trying to abduct equines in broad moonlight. He's NOT EVEN gonna try and steal a horse for himself; once Isla's got hers picked out, he's juuuuuust fine letting her take the wheel -- reins; whatever -- so he can just sit back and try not to fall off and die.

xxxxxAaaaaall casual like, Iris meanders on over to some horses, totally not doing stuff that's WRONG or anything, juuuuust heading to her horse, doo dee doo... No eye contact, stay inconspicuous, it's all good... When Isla seems to have picked a ride, she takes a second to come stroke the horse's nose and murmur a couple words to it to soothe its nerves and gird it with a zen-like calm of 'yeah sure, let's just go ride into war, sounds great, monster people, hop on'. She picks the one right next to it, and it too gets a soothing petting before she attempts to climb up on its back, inwardly grumping about saddles. Offering a hand down to Branton to help him up and keeping the sturrup clear so he can get a foot in, she's trying to act like this is totally kosher, tooooootally not stealing anyone's stuff...

xxxxxIsla grins as she whispers into the horses ear. She /knows/ horses. Well, her horse at home. But it all applies right? "Just hang on tight, Sprinkles. This is going to be the wildest ride in the wilderness!" Just like that roller coaster at Disneyland. "We can bring 'em back later. I'd hate to split them from their riders forever." With that, she'll get the horse to start to move slowly for now, letting Jes get settled and make sure they have a little more space from everything else before full gallop.

And just like that, the Devil's Own luck continues. Easy as you please, horses are taken, and climbed upon and ridden out of town like they're being chased. The horses don't seem to mind the rage, after all they were built for war. How do you know? Cause as they are riding along, Jes would look down and see a folded flag peaking out of a saddlebag. It doesn't have all the stars, but all the colors are all there - the red, white and blue of the Union cavalry.

The Devil's own races into the night in search of their friends, or more likely, their enemies.

xxxxxBranton is a champ about mounting when Iris beckons. It's how they do. *rim shot* So he gets up there, and puts some of that training she'd been giving him to use, and totally doesn't fall off immediately, but she still thinks out ride-reminders none the less. ~Heels down, grip with your knees, off hand goes loose around the driver's waist, dominant hand rests on your thigh. Don't fight the movement, loosen up your muscles and move with the horse. Like when you have to make turns on a motorcycle.~

xxxxxJes is sitting second banana behind Isla and letting her handle ALL of the important parts of flying this crazy train, giving him plenty of time to observe and think up trouble. He notes the flag, the poise of the majestic beast, the way the bouncing feels like someone keeps patting his testicles /JUUUUUST/ a bit too hard and /JUUUUUUST/ a bit too often, the way the countryside looks suspiciously like a big poofy mane of scarlet hair that is trying to snake into every one of his face-holes, and in order to distract himself he just starts hum-singing, "Daaaaaaa... dun, da-da-DUN, da-da-DUN, da-da-DUNDUNDUN da-da-DUNDUNDUN da-da-DUUUUUUUUUUN!". Yep, it's the goddamn William Tell Overture.

Devil's Own rides through the night, with only the waxing gibbous moon to guide them. Isla and Iris keep the horses at a steady pace, not pushing them too hard, but knowing WHEN to push them for speed. Dawn arrives and Isla senses that Frostbite is no longer on the move. They are still at least an hour or two ahead, but they are no longer moving away from them. From the back of Isla's horse, Jes sees sign of lots of previous riders passing the way and in the distance to the east, dark clouds loom in the distance. The sun rises red behind them.

As they pause at sunrise to get their bearings and give the horses a rest, Jes points out the other signs of horses. A fairly large number of them. Isla scans the area for sign, her long experience in the woods and the boon of weasel giving her a keen sense of the direction the Wyrmy ambushers turned. She leads her pack to an old overgrown abandoned road. It becomes obvious that the group split, and at least one rider continued in the direction of Frostbite, but the rest of the group followed this old road. There is a road sign posted that says "Paradise" with an arrow pointing down the road.

xxxxxIris waits a moment while they're stopped (or just walking) and getting their bearings. Since she's more of a medic and less of a scout, she takes stock of the horses while others are looking up ahead. "Dismount and wolf up?" she asks the alpha, "Or ride on? If we're doing the first, we should take the gear off these guys and let them go find a herd."

xxxxxIsla hmms, looking around. "Well. We either go after the rest of this group, or those meaning to ambush Frostbite. If this was part of their plan, then we want to stop them from getting Frostbite. Doesn't mean they could not be heading back here to this... "Paradise" either." She looks to the others first, and nods to Iris. "I think these guys have done a lot for us. We need to be more alert. Let's wolf up and go from there."

xxxxxBranton considers for a second "If you want I can talk to them and try and encourage them to head back to where we got them. And tell them thanks and stuff." Then he looks off towards Paradise, trying to work out the map in his head "Isn't Paradise about where Frostbite's line of travel will take them?"

xxxxxJes hops off the horse and does a bunch of stretches before meandering off to piss on a cactus, singing a little song to himself as he takes his whiz. "I'm the king, I'm the king, I'm the king, I'm the king of this de-seeeeert," he sings to the tune of the 'Bonanza' theme, "I'm the king, I'm the king, I'm the goddamn king of the whole damn Wild Wild Weeeeest....". If ever anyone could be king of a particular period of time....
xxxxxOnce that long -- and we're talking Tom Hanks 'A League of Their Own' long -- micturation ceases, Jes does some more stretches before meandering off far enough not to freak out the fucking horses and going through his Gaian ablutions to activate some of his more useful tricks.

xxxxxTo take the pants off a horse, it's really just a matter of undoing a couple buckles and unknoting one bigass strap, and then everything just sorta falls off easy peasy, and only takes a minute or two total, long enough for people to have a wee. And because she's not a huge dick, Iris offers some lovin healing to the horsies before nudging them off in a direction that's not where they're going. They'll be fine on their way to wherever Branton suggests to them, horses are natural survivors. "FINALLY. I was starting to worry you weren't going to pee on ANYTHING in the past." Iris says. Her player HAS been keeping track of Jes's bladder throughout this adventure! She skips on down to Lupus then, which she's basically never in because she sucks at being a wolf, but at least she's good lookin! All black with a few silvery bits here and there. Tail thumpin, Pancakewolf is ready to rock.

xxxxxIsla gets off the horse and just laughs with Jes. "Figures. At least ye are no Ogre." Cause he lasted a full 10 seconds longer in Revenge of the Nerds 2 than Tom Hakes in A League of their own. Morphing into lupus, Isla is out of this western wear and is ready to lead them on off toward Paradise!

Devil's Own moves from horseback to lupus, getting their own legs under them. Leaving the saddles, packs and the smell of Jes' urine behind them they begin to run towards Paradise, falling into their usual pace, with Branton Barry Allen-ing it behind them to keep up. As they run for the next hour or so, the wolves feel their fur begin to stand on end and Branton feels a sense of dread following him. The storm they saw at dawn seems to be catching up to them, and it doesn't seem to just be a rainstorm. Their wolf instinct tells them to run faster, run harder. DANGER! Then the human parts of their brain know that there is danger ahead as well as behind, danger they don't know the form of.

xxxxx~What funny fortune, Frostbite follows a bunch of crazy wolves into a storm, and now the favor gets repayed blow for blow! Although with way less speeding trucks and tanks, I guess.~ Iris thinks out to her broheims, ~So, what do you think, bosslady? Our prey's probably in hiding and ready to ambush the pack when they come through, and that storms just gonna help them out like it did at the Corax's home. Banes might be a definte problem... I wish we had a small army of weasels right now.~

xxxxxFiery Bellona evaluates it. >> We need to find those that would be ambushing, and get the drop on them. And why couldnae we call on Weasel or at least gafflings of Weasel to come help? Call them to action? <<

xxxxxBranton is expecting trouble and has his dueling sword in hand as he strides along. The magic of his boots helping him keep pace.

xxxxx<< You're the Theurge, Goop; you figure that shit out, >> Jester suggest-ers as he pads along quietly, keeping grim attention on the uneasy surroundings they're traversing. He Doesn't Like It One Bit, but there's work to be done; Goonies never say die and the Devil's Own never shows fear, mainly because Weasel says fear is the mind-killer and the dick-flaccid-er. Or tit-twister. Whatever accessories came with your action figure.

xxxxx~No time for a summoning.~ Iris says while they run along ~But there's certainly nothing saying we cant pray to our great war totem, the tube sock of ass kicking pudding! If he thinks we could use the backup, he may send us a little boon.~ But that's where the ST comes in, and Iris does pray to Weasel, please don't let us die without a carpet of fur-sausages to help us kill everyone else too! She's uneasy, not scared but definitely worried, this is gonna be a crossroad of shit storms and she doesn't want any of her friends taking the long walk to the afterlife just yet.

xxxxxWhile praying to Weasel, Iris figures fuck it, why keep all the nice thoughts all to herself, and extends that out into the everywhere. Weasel helps those that help themselves? She focuses on the rhythmic beat of paws the same way she would if she were summoning, and lets that be her conduit into the spiritual world. It's not so much a howl as it is just a... a sending, one soul calling to others like herself, a call to converge on her location like a beacon in a swarm from all directions. Large, small, elementals, plants, birds and wildlife, whatever is brave enough to answer the call in a mile around her. It's not a demand for materialization, what they decide to do when they hear the call is their own business.

The spirits response is immediate, congregating to Iris like a moth to flame - literally. As they near they begin to materialize just barely into the Gaia realm, appearing as a swarm of Death's Head Moths to the eyes of the observer. But to Iris, who is familiar with spirits on a level that others are not, she recognizes them as spirits of death and decay - not of the Wyrm. The float in from the abandoned town ahead where they once feasted on the webs left by weaver spirits when the town was active. Now the town dies and the spirits help it along. ~Mercy's Messenger~ they whisper like a dying breath ~enemies ahead. They wait with lighting and green fire~ The spirits have a sadness to them. ~Though none will survive the storm when it arrives.~

xxxxx<< Oh, THAT'S inspiring, >> Jes growl-grunts at the moths' warning, kicking up a little dirt as he circles the pack. << At least we know what's waiting for us. >>

xxxxxFiery Bellona shakes her head. >> Bad Storm - could kill everyone including enemies. They are of the Wyrm, certainly. << She hates this so much. >> We go, destroy them before this storm arrives. Then get out with Frostbite. Assuming they are on the way here as well. <<

xxxxxBranton frowns as the group keeps running into the storm ~If We have to shelter in place I can hold a building together. Or if its a spell sent storm I can try and break it. There will still be weather going on but not killing strong.~

xxxxx>>Yeah bugging out to let the storm eat any we cant put down might be the best bet!<< Iris agrees, and then says to the moths, ~Thank you, cousins! Help guide us to the enemy please, and then if you can, try to find a cave or a hole that will hold us all and protect us from the storm. Be careful!~ Back to the pack again, >>Storms are super hard to outrun, we need an exit strategy if the moths cant find something. A building in the town up ahead might help, or it might get sanded down to a nub and us too. Oh good, Branton!<<

Above Devil's Own something hurls through the air from the direction of town and burst into LIGHTNING! Oh shit! Streaks of lightning bath the entire area and thanks to weasel they all have a reasonable chance to get out of the way. One of the streaks of lightning hits a nearby tree and then arcs and slams into Iris, knocking her off her feet and singing her fur but otherwise causing no further harm. Several of the Death's Head moths disintegrate in the lightning. She, Jes and Branton are both momentarily blinded by the bright light. The chance for surprise is over, they know you're here and are on the attack.

xxxxxFiery Bellona shifts fluidly up to Crinos, summoning her bow. She quickly nocks an arrow and it lets it fly - having spotted a target. She hits, she knows it, but how much it did is unsure. This distance - they could have dodged, she will have to find out!

xxxxxIris's bell is rung, but she's OKAY! Not like she's never been burned to the bone or electrocuted or anything, so this glancing blow and a bit of singe is alright, it's the BONNNNNNNNNNNG! sound in her ears and all the sparkly spots in her eyes that's the trick. She gets herself up to her feet, ~Go! Go!~ she says to the moths to get them out of the fire zone and on the hunt for safety. They're death spirits, they'll be back later, but dying still probably really sucks all the same. Channeling some fury, she oomphs herself up into crinos while reaching back over her shoulder to pull free her Thorn Bow, quiver full'a weird arrows forming low slung on her hip.

xxxxxBranton was about to reach for Iris when she got zorched but she bounced up and yelled GO. So Branton Goes. Hauling ass towards the buildings of the town at impossible speed and reaching up with one hand to touch one of his Amulets, channeling power as bright white flashes of lightning start sparking and skipping over him.

xxxxxWhen the attack arrives, Deej jukes and finds moderate cover before throwing back his head and howling a low, resonant cry to the stormy heavens. It begins eerily enough, but the longer he holds the note the louder and more menacing it sounds, beginning to ululate like a banshee wail while carrying a rumbling bass undertone of menace and terror. It's fuckin' /sweeeeeeeet/.

As Devil's Own dodges lighting and moves into position for battle, Bellona fires a shot that bends around a building and strikes a dodging foe in the dark. Jes' howl sends two of the enemies fleeing in terror, turning tail and running. They'll pay for that later. Lightning arcs down around them again, but this time they are ready for it. Branton is winged by a gunshot and a crinos with bat wings descends from the sky to stab at Bellona with some form of wyrm tainted fang dagger. Her crinos form absorbs the blow.

As the battle continues, just to the east, the storms begin to form funnel clouds which spin themselves down to the ground in tornadoes that dot the landscape and begin to move towards the town that was once called Paradise.

xxxxxFiery Bellona is attacked! That just pisses off the red furried monster, and she drops her bow and gets right up to it and BOOM! Lays down the claws with a vengence! Ripping and tearing and POOF! The attacker, whatever it is she does not care, because now it is a pile of mush. >> And stay down! <<

xxxxxIris was JUST about to try and shoot that dude, when he suddenly stopped being a dude and instead became a batman corpse. Ew. Alrighty then! Super keen on the idea of not getting struck by lightning if she can help it, Iris darts forward at incredible speed, leaving a silvery grey tracer in her wake as she jets towards the ghost town like a teeny little comet.

xxxxxFiery Bellona runs forward, looking for more. She transmits on the pack link, >> I see one. Could be Alpha. Scar on face. Has a lantern of lightning and a large klaive! <<

xxxxxBranton got shot and didn't like it, zeroing in on the muzzle flash and gunpowder smoke to find a target. Moving impossibly fast Branton finds a space where the shot came from and a barely perceptible shimmer of someone under a stealth gift. A quick lunge to the center of mass deposits a now visible spill of entrails on the ground.

The ambush sprung, the Devil's Own going on the aggressive. The bat-winged BSD dies at the hands of Fiery Bellona and she and Iris and Jes charge forward. Iris and Isla briefly surround the BSD alpha who smashes a lightning lantern into the ground. Branton gets shot and goes aggro, slicing and dicing their ragabash to pieces. When the glare from the lightning clears, the BSD alpha is gone from sight.

Meanwhile, the storm rages, swirling tornadoes snaking towards Paradise.

As Branton speeds through the town, and Fiery Bellona runs after him they see, strangely enough, Micah, on the ground, with Micah barking at something that is coming at them. Micah's bow is some distance away from his hands and he seems pretty terrified. If the time you have you don't see what is coming at him.

xxxxxFiery Bellona is running toward Branton and her eye catches something else. >> MICAH! << She sees the terrified look on him and is going to turn on her heel and run toward him. Cause that is bad shit.

Iris i able to spy the remainder of the moths darting around, they don't seem to be hiding. They seem to know their end is coming and being decay and death spirits, seem kinda resigned to it. She also sees Micah, on the ground, with Tank barking at something that is coming at them. Micah's bow is some distance away from his hands and he seems pretty terrified. If the time you have you don't see what is coming at him.

xxxxxIris scans around for allies now that there's no foes. ~I found the moths, I think maybe they found-~ But she too spots and is distracted by Micah, and makes him a rallying point since Isla's headed that way too. On the way, she attempts to scoop up his bow while Isla gets to the man himself. She's still a lot more concerned with their exit plan than anything, but asks, "Where's the rest of the pack, Micah?"

xxxxxBranton calls out "Nope! I'm distracted by the flesh golemy bone giant construct crinos shaped things marching on the town." and he points off "We should group up with Frostbite, so we can keep those things as far from the kids as possible."

xxxxxFiery Bellona gets there with Micah, and is scanning around to see what he is dealing with. Iris with her, they are looking for Frostbite and friends as well. >> Are you hurt? Where is trouble? <<

xxxxx>>The WHAT?!<< Iris blurts, cause 'flesh golemy bone giant construct crinos shaped things' is not really one of those things you want to hear in terms of who's coming for company. "I'm feeling less certain about sheltering through the storm now." She goes then to put Micah's bow in his hand and help her fellow Theurge out the only way a mystic can. She slaps the shit out of him (actually pretty lightly, since crinos) and then points his face at the alpha, Isla, while saying, >>Sack up, sonny! E'ry thing's gonna be fine!<< That's *totally* helping Isla's questioning! Honestly she didn't even mean to do that, it was just a natural reaction to someone showing fear. Any how, men slapping done, she's lookin for other Frostbiters, and even howls out, >>Frostbite!<< over the wind in case someone just didn't even realize they were there or something.

xxxxxMicah gets slapped and he comes out of it. Grabbing his bow as he gets to his feet he shouts, "They're sheltering the kids in the gully on the other side of town.

xxxxxBranton nods and gestures "Lets get going then. We're stronger together and there's more coming."

The members of Devil's Own see a massive figure, bone white in the shape of a crinos, but seemingly made up of the bone and sinew of multiple animals. It has a bucks head, but the chest cavity of what you're pretty sure is some kind of cow or bison. One of its arms actually has a hoof. It isn't alone. Out from the storm, many like creatures seem to coming into the town.

Behind them, the funnel clouds are converging towards you as well and the sound of them drowns out all verbal communication. In many a western, there is a moment of the last stand, where the heroes make one last valiant effort to go out with glory before the end. This may be that moment for the Devil's Own and Frostbite. The creatures are coming, and more are on the horizon, and there is no running from this storm. This is the Alamo, the shoot out at the O.K. Corral. All that is left is to see how you will go out. One thing is for sure, the Devil's Own shows no fear, so give 'em hell pardner.