Sunday, April 1, 1877

Holding late Easter service, Laura bursts in and yells that zombies are back!

Fortunately most of the PC types never stowed their weapons at home. We set up at the front door as the shamble toward us. Mac fires first, the first shot takes the zombie's head off, the second wounds the other. A hail of gunfire doesn't result in a whole lot more. The shamble forward, one swings at Mac who responds by clubbing it with the butt of his gun and knocking it to the ground.

We continue to fire on them, and despite them getting in close a few times, the zombies are put down.

Monday, April 2, 1877

Judith constructs a "shutter" for her door and a pen for her sheep.

Dr Wolf is practicing knife fighting, in exchange for sword fighting lessons.

Newspaper blames the whole mine incident from yesterday on "evil Chinese" with opium and "Eastern magics".

Mac talks to the Mayor - is vague about the source of trouble and denies the ghost rock mine exists. The mining company is very interested and will be sending down people. If a mine is found, he expects Mac to post guards.

David Lennox, US Marshal, now Deputy Lennox talks to Mac quietly. Word is that Mac's father's murderer is gunning for Mac now. At least that's what his sources think.

Screaming from down the street, young child yells "Zombies are attacking!"

Another couple are put down.

Head out of town. Father Michael asks Laura to look up the gallows sign in the occult library, not telling her it's branded on him.

Onatah tracks the zombies' trail out of town up into the hills and mountains to the northwest. We encounter different small packs and kill them.

We encounter a pack of three more nimble zombies eating a deer. Dr Wolf fires his rifle at them and they run, coming into a box canyon. We shoot them down at a range. Dr Wolf goes exploring the rim of the canyon, Father Michael turns to watch the entrance. Mac goes to the end of the box to see what's there and is attacked by terrible tentacles from the ground which wrap around him and his horse.

Deputy Dan is terrified but Deputy Lennox is OK and covering him so he fires at the tentacles. Onatah knew something bad would happen to the foolish white man and looses a few arrows at the tentacles. (Foolish white man) The tentacles the rise from the ground as the giant maw of the creature breaks the surface! RAR! Mac shoots the tentacle holding him and it drops him to the ground. Dr Wolf yells from the canyon rim, "Run away!" waving dynamite.

Dan fires a shot ineffectually into the tentacle and rides off. Lennox grabs Mac from ground and rides off with everyone else. Dr Wolf tosses dynamite into the things great maw and it explodes in a mess of goo and gore.

We ride further on and find a cliff face over a golden valley of grass. Out in the distance we see a blue glow across the valley, at the foot hills on the other side. The zombies have worn a pass through the grass then broken against the cliff and found different ways up. After a plan we decide to set the valley on fire to avoid being caught there. That works and the valley is cleared of grass and any zombies. We siesta as it burns.

We ride across, bandanas over our mouths to keep out the ash. There's a giant owl carving with glowing blue eyes that are actually gems. There's a little cave in it's mouth. The local Indians long, long ago worshiped great owls and buried their dead here. Clearly something has gone wrong here.

As we ride forward a wave of blue light emits from the eyes and five burned corpses stand up. A hail of gun fire from the PCs starts knocking down the zombies. Deputy Lennox has his arm horribly mauled by one of them. Dr Wolf has aimed for a bit and fires into the eye of the owl and the sapphire cracks in half, the glow in that eye dims.

Father Michael puts down the last zombie. Dr Wolf fires at the last gem a few times and it finally cracks. The cliff face crumbles as the last gem cracks and rumble covers the burial mound.

Father Michael calls on the Lord to heal Deputy Lennox's injuries and his arm begins to knit.

Searching the rubble Dr Wolf finds some chunks of sapphire, and Mac finds chunks of sapphire and a piece of weird metal. Perhaps the Migo came here first and awoke the owl somehow.

Dr Wolf explores the cave that was the owl's mouth and finds a very small cave - some bones on the ground and soot on the cieling. A former ritual site by the Indians, perhaps? He finds a very large bone buried under a bunch of rocks and another sapphire.

We return to town, it's fairly late when we get in. Dead Eye Bruce reports to the mayor that we've returned. A notice from the mayor in the next morning to request our presence at the town square for a celebration.

Tuesday, April 3rd, 1878

A big gathering in front of the town hall when we get there. Above small stage is a banner, "Thank you heros of Vulture". Mayor thanks us, again. He also reveals a plan for a convention of scientists to promote their technology! Three months later, on the 4th of July! "The First Annual Vulture Mining Exp(l)o"