Friday, March 2, 1877 - night

It is a Friday night in Vulture City, and Paul Larson, the representative of the Vulture Mining Company, has called a meeting of prominent townsfolk, miners and other interested parties (including the PCs) at Faheys Arizona Saloon & Brewery. Faheys is a long skinny bar with a short bar across the back. There is a small room behind the bar, where the brewery is housed. Long tables are arranged with a row between them to let newcomers in. This setup makes it hard to get out sometimes. Outside, stairs lead up to the Virginia Lodging House. Those who have been in town a while recognize most of the people in the room:

• Mayor Love, with his pale blue eyes and expensive suit
  • Mac knows him, even though he has only been in town a short time, as Mac saw him about the sheriff vacancy, but Mayor Love turned him down (too young)
• Madam Jouret, who despite the unsavory nature of her business is dressed demurely
• even the strange reporter Frampton Oliver, with his prominent nose and pouty lips

Larson quiets large room, and then speaks: It has been almost a year since the mine closed, and that has been hard on everyone, but the hard times are in the past, as they have a buyer for the mine. Because of this, the Vulture Mining Company is willing to overlook the death of the mine guard two weeks ago. They are sure that an out of town element was responsible. He promises good wages and a thriving community. Then, he buys a round of drinks for everyone.

He leaves shortly thereafter. The ladies and more gentlemanly gentlemen file out, while Oliver watches, and businessmen enjoy a drink of celebration.

Marvin Dittrick, the former sheriff, is quite drunk and begins hollerin' about how the guard was killed by creatures... horrible creatures with glowing red eyes that will steal your soul. Not by some "out of town element"!

Barkin' Watson, whose laugh sounds like a dog's bark, says that it wasn't any creature - it was the two boys of Alberto Fumagalli.

Adamo Rizzuti, cousin to Fumagalli, takes offense loudly and with bluster and then swings at Watson.

A bar brawl breaks out. Dr. Wolf heads to bar quick to get a beer before it's to late. Onatah and Judith head to the wall to get out of the way. Mac jumps up on the bar and tries to staredown the crowd, to little effect besides disturbing one man. Father Michael joins in, yelling from the piano bench to little effect.

Father Michael continues to yell, breaking up a few small fights. Onatah notices a guy across the room and is aiming across the room, she yells out a warning to the crowd nearby. Someone near the shooter bumps into him and knocks his arm; it fires as it's knocked away and shoots a hole in the ceiling. All eyes goes to the man with the gun.

A guy (putting on his suspenders) comes down the stairs outside and in the door and wants to know what idiot nearly killed him.

John Francis: "Wouldn't have killed you."
Guy: "Who are you?"
Bartender: "The mayor's cousin."
John Francis: "Acting Sheriff."

The group breaks up, Dr Wolf finds out that the acting sheriff ain't that bright, waving his gun around.

Judith goes looking for that respectable element what cleared out earlier, to find out who the buyer for the mine is - Wickenburg Gold & Silver, a local operation.

Mac discourages the bartender from serving John Francis; but the bartender says he can't on account of him being the Mayor's cousin. Mac goes to confront John Francis, the acting sheriff, maybe pulling a shootin' iron isn't the best option in a bar brawl, as a US Marshal. The lock eyes, eventually John Francis caves and leaves. Mac takes a beer as payment, "I'm not in the business of making friends."

Father Michael and Onatah head toward their respective homes.

Saturday, March 3

Shrill screams the next morning, it's early, the suns still coming up. Everyone heads out to look, Cooper in the lead with a shotgun. They find a crowd gathering on the corner across from the Boone & Wright Store and Warehouse on Main and Yuma. Many people are not fully dressed. Others gather on balconies across the street. At the center of the crowd is Mayor Love, standing next to one of the city wells. A young man pushes his way through the crowd and up to the mayor. He says to the mayor, breathlessly, "We can't find John Francis."

The mayor responds (somewhat quietly): Try that whore's house!
Another man pushes his way up to the mayor: He's drunk.
The mayor whispers something to him, but the man shakes his head: He's really drunk.

Mayor spots Mac, and motions to him. He says:
Ladies and Gentlemen, a crime has been committed here. However, we have a fresh face to solve it. This young man has been deputized by the US Marshals, and if he is good enough for the Marshals, then he is good enough for Vulture City!

A coarse woman's voice from the crowd shouts: What's happened?!
The young Indian serving woman standing next to the mayor, who the locals among you recognize as Mary Zepeda, wails: It's Sheriff Dittrick's head! In the well!

Women scream and faint. Men look disturbed. Mayor Love looks annoyed. He says to Mac: You want the job? You've got it. I suggest you check out newcomers to our town, as no local would do this. Your deputy will be down at the jailhouse shortly to answer any questions.

Mayor Love looks to a lackey and says: Get the undertaker.

Then he leaves.

A woman who appears halfway dressed with a ruffled robe over her clothing runs through the crowd to Mary Zepeda by the well. Locals recognize her as Anna Benedict. The crowd presses in around them to get a look down the well. Mrs. Benedict begins to wail that Mary needs the medicine woman after this shock. Mr. Benedict, a rotund man who had time to dress himself in a suit, bellows, and the two break into a screaming match, compressed closer and closer by the crowd. A young girl arrives at the home of Onatah and tells her she is needed by the well. Mac brandishes the shotgun and suggests everyone leave and they start to drift off. Father Michael breaks into the Benedict's fight, "Now is not the time or the place." Michael stares at him, breaks the momentum, and they leave.

Mac asks who was the first to find the head - Mary squeaks out, "I was." She was drawing up the bucket, and there was the head in the bucket, looking at her. Mary didn't see no one by the well. What was she doing last night? After she helped Miss Anna get ready for bed, then went to sleep. No one saw her after that til this morning.

Judith, the undertaker arrives on the scene, and draws the head up. She unties the bucket from the well to take with her. A nearby general store volunteers a fresh bucket. A lot of out of work mine workers means some people with experience to sound the well and see if there's a body.

Judith investigates the head - based on water logging, it's been in the water for an hour. It wasn't torn off, but was cut off by a crude device - saw, hatchet, etc.

Mac heads to the jail, north of downtown, to check out his deputy. Judith and Father Michael accompany - offering to provide introductions to anyone necessary. There's an argument going on - "John Francis, you were drunk, you can't be sheriff if you ain't gonna show up." Turns out that John Francis is the deputy; he's arguing with one of the Mayor's lackeys.

And Father Michael exits to get dressed properly. John Francis squints at him; "who are you?" I'm the new sheriff - if he's gonna be drunk on the job, I want his gun and badge right now. John insists he isn't drunk. Mac sends John Francis home to sleep it off.

Mac heads to Fahey's to question people, Judith heads off to scout for the body. Mac talks to the bartender - tells him he's going to bring down all the boarders and search the rooms. Five guys, one young woman, a family with children. Asks were peoople were sleeping - family can vouch for each other, a few guys have no one to vouch for them. One guy is a leather merchant, to the saddlery place; one guys sells dry goods to the local merchants; one drifter hoping to get work in the mine; plus the weird German guy.

German was sleeping upstairs, but no one can verify. German is in town healing up from leg injury sustained from fall from horse. "Don't leave town."

Assuming the miners are looking into the well - Judith circles the well looking for blood drops, then checking the places people can ditch bodies. Bribing children to tell her if they find the body - 25 cents! TS Harris publishes the weekly news - heard a commotion outside his house. Signs of a scuffle in the alley near his house, a little blood on the wall maybe someone hit their head. No body. TS Harris heard this, maybe after 1:00.

Father Michael rejoins the group - dressed. Frampton Oliver, reporter, looking over the scene. Mac has been called over - he checks over the scene, and figures out where the tracks go - down the alley and out of town toward the desert. Mac can't follow the tracks into the desert - after mounting a horse, maybe with two people on it.

Mac heads over to talk to the medicine woman. Could she helps us track someone in the wilderness? She will help us in exchange for some extra arrows. (Not paying for it with shiny beads and firewater) Meet him and the posse on the outskirts of town. German is invited along because he has a wagon, and because he's the primary suspect at this point.

Mac and Judith also head around to knock on doors to find out if anyone saw anything. Pioneer Bakery doesn't start baking early enough for them to be there. Further away are two nice houses - first one is office of GL Porter & Co Lumber Yard, sleeps with cotton in his ears on account of the fighting on the street, so he heard nothing.

Second is Robert Love, brother to Mayor and proprietor of market, answered by cute young thing. Invited into parlor, she goes and fetches her husband - a large guy, a square "Love" face. Heard anything last night that might relate to the murder? Didn't hear nothing - just the normal carrying on in the streets. No gunshots. "Don't leave town."

Judith compares blood splotch on wall to the head - it wasn't from the dead man's head, maybe from the assailant.

We head out to the edge of town again, but the Indian woman can't find the trail any better than Mac could. Judith's been around a while and recalls a cave and a ravine nearby that might be a good place to stash a body and hack it up. We head out toward the cave. Wolfgang spots some buzzards circling out toward the ravine. We change course. Judith, "The buzzards are fighting the lizards for the gizzards."

Head into the ravine - the body is in multiple pieces, strewn about some sort of old stone altar. The undertaker has to sit down for a minute, and the Wolfgang starts babbling to himself. Father Michael tries to calm Wolfgang. Mac goes to check out the scene - he finds a very sharp knife in a niche in the altar.

Judith and Father Michael take a look at the occult meanings - the heart has been ripped out and is missing, perhaps devoured. Not very carefully arranged to our eyes - the heart was not cleanly removed. There are older bloodstains on it, predating this murder.

Mac checks around for tracks and does find a set leading back toward town from the ravine. The knife is a fancy bowie knife or hunting knife, perhaps more decorative than intended for use. Mac asks Onatah if she can like call up the spirit of the knife or something, Onatah looks at him like he's crazy. "Watchu talking 'bout, white man?" Onatah asks if she's needed anymore... Mac say she isn't.

Onatah heads over to check on Mary to see how she's doing. Mac asks the blacksmith if he recognizes the knife or if he knows where it might have come from. A couple of blacksmiths - first one, Did you work on it?, No, What kind of knife is it?, Piece of crap. Second blacksmith, shows that it was sharpened by hand not on a grinding stone, guy came through selling fancy stuff like this a couple months ago.

Mac heads to the Mayor to tell him what we found so far. "Good job son, find out who did it?" Not yet, but I will.

Judith does some cavity embalming. And Judith tells the newspaper people where the body was, and invites them to check out the body if they want. Father Michael works on a eulogy and has a few fliers posted announcing the funeral the next day.

Paul Larson stops Mac in the street. Paul wants this all wrapped up soon so the sale of the mine don't fall through. "Don't worry, there's a new sheriff in town."

Mac goes to visit Robert Love and his wife. Ushered back into the parlor. Mac puts the murder weapon on the table, "Could either of you shed any light on where this knife comes from?" Mrs Love screams and runs out. Mr Love admonishes Mac for behaving like that in front of a lady. Mr Love looks at the knife - he doesn't carry anything like that in his store. A tradesman came through back in January with fancy knives... "Any idea who he sold to?" Sold to a bunch of people in town, in on a Saturday so lots of liquored up impulse purchasing. Wagon said, "Ichobod's Knives" maybe? Might work out of Wickensburg? He's not positive. Thanks and "I'll be back later." Glare at each other. Mr Love, "That's fine but don't scare the lady." Mac leaves.

He heads back to the jail to lock up John Francis' gun and badge in the desk. Finds the previous sheriff's log book - mostly public drunkeness, fightin, thievin. That last written page has been torn out. The page before is dated right around the end of December 1876, just before he retired.

Mac goes looking for John Francis - he's probably at a whorehouse. Judith intercepts him - she wants to head to the sheriff's house to get some clothes. The place has been ransacked - open drawers, papers on the floor. Both Judith and Mac start looking around - Judith spots a page sticking up from the bible, it's the missing page from the log book. Judith hands it over to Mac.

The missing page: "Pascal Taylor (Judith's assistant) reported seeing strange creatures south of town, about the first of the year. Sheriff went to investigate. Jenny Mills (local stable) lost one of her ponies, on the south side of town. When he was coming back in toward town, saw horrible creatures but managed to escape.

Decision is made to check out south of town later, maybe when it will stay light out.

Judith has finished the undertaking and the result is sufficient to have an open casket viewing. We decide to hold a wake - Madame Jouret offers her house, but we decide he won't have a wake at the whorehouse. We opt to use the bar, the body at one end of the long room.

Mac standing at the door is watching people coming in - making sure no one is carrying a weapon and checking to see if anyone has trauma on the back of their head. One woman shows up with three little cocker spaniels, Missy Dupre, has a famous dog act in town.

Onatah stands by the door with Mac and Father Michael circulates in the crowd. We spot a few guys who appear to have suffered blows to the head - of course, there was that bar brawl on Friday night. (Barkin' Watson, miner; Grady Parsons, store clerk; Adamo Rizzuti, miner and troublemaker) Lots of others from town are there.

People make a beeline for the coffin, complementing Judith on her fine work. The judge, Peterson, "You know ma'am, I just wanted to say, you did some mighty fine work there." He wants to talk with Judith for a while. Mary thanks Onatah for helping her out, before being dragged away by Anna Benedict.

Fritz Brill introduces himself to Dr Wolfgang. They talk about the old country. It's nice to have someone to talk to. They came from towns only a hundred miles apart. Fritz lives on a river not far from here and planted some palm trees. Dr Wolfgang will be in town - at least a month for his leg to heal, then he has some personal business perhaps.

Adamo is drinking heavily, maybe never even looked at the body. Grady Parsons looks at the casket, no weird reaction. Barkin' Watson looks really sympathetic, built short and wide.

Father Michael gives a brief eulogy, an accounting of Dittrick's life. Barkin' Watson gives a nice eulogy about how Sheriff Dittrick cleaned the place up.

Judith gets the sense that it's time for the body to go away before people get to drunk. A lot of the respectable folk leave soon after, leaving the drinkers behind.

Mac pulls up a seat next to Adamo and asks what Adamo did last night after the fight. Adamo spent some "quality time" with a pretty little thing, and won some money at a gambling house.

Mac grabs Grady Parsons and asks him a few questions about where he was last night between midnight and 5 AM. Mac fixes Grady with a cold stare. Grady is unnerved, he was at home with his ma. Sheriff wants to talk to ma, but is willing to put it off to the funeral tomorrow.

Sunday, March 4

Morning and the Requiem Mass. Wolfgang has had bad dreams of ravines and sleeps in - nothing Freudian here. Father Michael performs the mass and Judith attends. The burial takes place (Father Michael's miracle of last rites succeeds - the old sheriff will rest in peace)

Sheriff Mac heads of to Grady Parsons' place to talk to Ma Parsons. They talk in the parlor - Ma Parsons vouches for Grady being home Friday night. Grady read her the Bible after dinner, then went to bed around 9. Grady was there in the morning. Mac looks around the place, with Ma's permission, but sees nothing incriminating. Mac takes Grady outside - where'd he get the meat for dinner and what he did after Ma went to sleep. Meat from Vulture Market Friday after work. After reading the Bible, he went to bed. How'd he hit his head? There was a cat... Ma sent Grady into the pantry to get the pickles, cat knocked a jar of pickled jalapenos on the floor... Mac grabs him and stares into his eyes, "Tell me what happened..." Grady finishes his story about him bending down after that then stood up and hit his head.

Judith talks to the assistant Pascal about what he saw south of town. Sensitive to the fact he told the sheriff in confidence. He saw a big wolf, like the size of an ox, and behind a rock there were glowing eyes. She finds out where south of town he saw this.

Judith talks to Mac about the location. Father Michael agrees to join the hunt for demon wolves. Wolfgang prefers doing something to doing nothing. And Onatah may know something about local wildlife, etc so she'll come to. We head out to the southeast looking for a fan shaped cactus that marks the spot.

We find the cactus, a truly weird looking cactus. Mac quickly spots the tracks of some very large creatures - two huge wolves, here within the last 12 hours. The wolves head off to the south. We turn south and follow the tracks.

Our trackers are having a tough time following the tracks. Wolfgang spots a cave in the hills, he has no problem with caves. (Anna: ...yet!) We head up the animal path to the mouth of the cave. Everyone peers in - it's a fairly deep cave, we don't hear anything directly, but there are probably animals deeper inside.

Father Michael grabs his lantern from his mule Abbie, and his gun. We head into the cave. Mac has a shotgun and takes point along with Wolfgang who has drawn his sword - electricity arcs between the two prongs along it's length. Wolfgang finds scat from a large carnivore - we are reassured.

We descend deeper into the cave and the air cools. A snuffling sound, three pairs of red glowing eyes look at us. We freeze and prepare for combat. One of them walks into the light - a naked skinless humanoid with claws. It rushes toward the light, held by Father Michael.

Onatah fires her bow, skewering the thing in the gut, but it keeps coming. Dr Wolf slashes at it but misses. It dives at Father Michael who back pedals out of the way. Mac shoots it with his shotgun, both barrels, and the humanoid falls twitching to the ground oozing ichor.

One of the wolfs steps into the light, skinless like the man was, it rushes at Mac, leaping at him snarling. It tries to grab Mac by the head (Anna: I think we figured out the head mystery), but collides with him instead. Only 3 Wind!

Both Father Michael and Judith shoot at the wolf, but Father Michael misses his shots and Judith grazes it. A second wolf rushes from the shadows and chews onto Father Michael's arm. Judith shoots this new wolf and lightly wounds it's forelimb.

Onatah fires her bow at the first wolf, skewering it in the head, heavily wounding it. Father Michael empties the shotgun shell from his LeMat into the wolf's leg but only lightly wounds it. Judith fires a shot into the wolf's gizzards, slowing it down a little. Mac fires his shotgun at the first wolf that's attacking him but misses.

Dr. Wolfgang spins and stabs the wolf attacking the Father with his electric sword - stabbing it in the guts, knocking it out through the power of electricity!

The remaining wolf leaps at Mac again, bashing at his shoulder doing a little Wind. Judith fires a couple of shots at it - grazing it a couple of times, knocking some wind out of it. Father Michael grazes the things guts, which it barely notices. Otanah looses another arrow but misses. Mac yells "Down boy!" and it shrinks back for a second. Dr Wolfgang stabs it and the electricity arcs and stuns it.

We dispatch the stunned wolves quickly. The back of the cave is searched and we find pieces of people that have been cut apart - either the skinless being was a tool user, but he had no tools here - so maybe someone was feeding them. A dark hand like mark is over the chest of the horrible skinless beings - some sort of dark stain.

We drag the bodies out of the cave and they burst into flames. The Father quotes Psalm 67, "Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.". Onatah hums during this.

We head back to town and are not ambushed during this.