Gnarlitch

After the shoot out at Independence Rock, there are those among the wagon company who wish to return to Fort Caspar. They are reminded by Spud, however, that if they take the time to turn back for that, then they won't have enough time to make it through all of the mountain passes before the first snows and could get stranded. It is then sugested that they turn back to Caspar and winter there before continuing on the next spring. However, most of the travellers don't have the supplies for the lengthy layover that would entail and they would just end up starving to death instead of freezing to death. The best option appears to be to continue on. A small number of wagons decide to return to Fort Caspar anyways, feeling unsafe remaining with this company. Those that continue on are even more subdued than previously, all except for Gunther. He had previously been quiet and unassuming, yet personable. Now, he glared and grunted at anyone who even came close to him or his wagon. Occassionally he would even be heard ranting and raving about lunatics and, of all things, werewolves. Everyone began to avoid him as completely as possible, thinking him insane. The wagon train moved on, though, and even traversed Devil's Gate with out losing a wagon, by some miracle. The experienced guides said that was the first they had heard of a train making it through that pass without losing at least one wagon to the treacherous trail. After that, people began to breath easier. Then, three days later, things exploded in confusion and violence once again. This time it was over a dispute between Markus and Blondie. Blondie You changed your name, didn't you, and your haircut. You look a mite different now than you did a couple of years ago. Markus Excuse me? I do believe you have me mistaken for someone else. Blondie No. I'm certain of it. Yer thet no good scalliwag we were hired to run off from that farm a couple of years back. The farm where Miss Tannisson is from. Markus *with a touch of fear in his eyes* I'm certain you are mistaken, sir. Blondie You callin' me a liar? That's a shootin' offense out here. Course, so's murder, an' considerin' the no good, down-at-the-heel scoundrel and thief I got you figured for, I figure thet you are the murderer in this here group as well! Nate *stepping up, looks from one to the other. Knowing that Blondie had been in Amanda's father's employ for the last couple of years, he begins to nod in agreement with him* mmmm, maybe you're right, Blondie, but what do you have to say to that, Markus? Markus *getting angry* You think I am the killer? And you too, Nathaniel? *Markus looks at the men disbelievingly.* I swore it, on the family and the love I've lost. I've never killed anyone in my life. I've nothing left to live for, except to start a new life, away from the sins I've commited. If you want to kill me know, may God judge you. *He turns slowly and walks away, tears falling from his eyes onto the ground. Stops and turns, looking Blondie right in the eye* Sir, I do believe that YOU are the killer, a hired gun and a rabid dog! Nate *Listens to Markus' defense, and immediately feels a twinge of guilt. But at the word "God," his eyes jerk up from the ground, and he starts to shake subtly. * Markus, I believe you, and will follow your lead in this. Amanda and Rosalie step up beside Nate, both armed with shotguns. Rosalie We believe Markus as well. This man is the murderer here *points to Blondie* I say we lynch him and be done! With that, and with a united voice, the whole wagon train turns out for a good old fashioned "neck-tie party." Someone produces a rope and ties a slip knot. then someone else tosses the loop over a handy tree limb. About five minutes later Blondies legs have stopped kicking and are simply swaying in the light breeze. With that buisness taken care of, the pioneers begin to pack up, ready to move on... Gunther You done hanged the wrong man! It was him all along! Mr. high an' mighty lawyer, too good for any of us here **BOOM** *he fires his shotgun into Nate at point blank range, near cutting him in half before anyone is able to react. Then, both Rosalie and Amanda react almost as one, firing both barrells of both their shotguns at almost the same moment. Gunther is thrown back, his body shredded and torn by all the buckshot, dead before he hit the ground. Nate A-Aman--da...*gasp* Amanda NATE! *runs to her fallen husband* Nate I.....L..love..you........ Amanda I love you too. Don't leave me....*breaks down sobbing over Nate's lifeless body* SIX WEEKS LATER.... The wagon train crests a rise and there is Oregon City in the distance, a mere half day's travel. Amanda sits next to Markus on the wagon seat, holding him close. They look forward with hope for a better and brighter future, both for themselves, for Rosalie, and for the McAlister children that they've taken in. If nothing else, they are sure that Polly will be alright, as she seems attached at the hip to a boy only a couple of years older than herself for once. They are even talking about marriage.... Congratulations to our wolves, Tanny and Deg, for winning this round. I'll leave it up to them to tell you all their back ground story. For story purposes, however, Rosalie suspects her sister of the murders, knowing what has happened in the past and knowing her previous attachment to Markus. But, does she actually know? Did she help? Only she knows that...and she hasn't told anyone....yet... Also of note. With the lynching of Dean/Blondie, the wolves only had to do their night's slaughter and the game was won. As per their choice, that slaughter, Merelas/Nate was added into this post, as well as the only remaining person suspicious of them, Solivagus/Gunther, being taken care of in the process for purposes of keeping the story neat and tidy in the ending. My apologies to Solivagus for making him into a raving lunatic at the end. I simply chose something that would fit easily into the story and leave Amanda and Markus "free" to live out their lives.

well, uh, I agree up to a point. Rich likes her, because she's cute and all, and nice, but he really wants a girl he can discuss deeper issues with as well. So, they've dated a bit, here and there, everyone thinks they are such a cute couple, but there is nothing serious there.

Ok, at this point it looks as if Dean/Blondie is getting lynched. For votes we have: Bean/Blondie--4 Degenero/Marcus--1 (by Dean) And as of this post the only one not voting yet is Solivagus. Will wait until 9 pm my time, midnight Eastern time, and then post the lynching results.

uh, Nave, DUCK! HERE COMES A LIGHTNING BOLT! *ducks and hides himself, trying not to get fried with his buddy Nave*

hmmm...let's see here. Every single category I could have fit into in high school has already been filled, sometimes more than once. So, I'll be...THE JOCK. Not the stereotypical, brainless one though. I not only letter in four sports every year (All-American in football as a linebacker, btw), but I also maintain a 4.0 grade average without breaking a sweat, or so it seems. But although I appear strong and confident, I am not arrogant or overly cocky. I am friends with everyone and anyone, and am a shoe in for both academic and sports scholarships. I'm just waiting for the acceptance letters to come in the mail. Oh, and my name is Richard Smith, but everyone calls me Rich. This is actually patterned after a friend of mine in high school, other than lettering in all 4 sports. He only lettered in two or three I think (baseball, volleyball, and golf I think), as well as being Senior Class Pres., super religious dude, and about the nicest damn guy you'll ever meet. Heck, he tried to drag me kicking and screaming out of geekdom and into the real world even. I did change his last name though. EDIT Ok, reading back to this, I almost make myself sick. He's just too good. As far as physical description, well, if you've ever seen the movie "Remember the Titans," picture the big blonde kid who is team captain and ended up in a wheel chair at the end. That's "me" this game, but definitely not RL. Heck, this guy is so good I don't know if I can actually play him. http://www.themightypen.net/public/style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif

SCORE CARD The Living Tanny~~Amanda Tanisson~~ Elwen~~Rosalie Tanisson~~ Merelas~~Nathaniel Bluett~~ DeantheAdequate~~"Blondie"~~ Degenero~~Markus Black~~ Solivagus~~Gunther~~ The Dead Eyremon~~Eric Smith~~gunned down by debt collectors, first lynching MeThinksYouFoolish~~ Jake Burrow~~drowned/smashed on rocks, SEER, first slaughter Lady Celes Crusader~~Charlotte Gainsbourg~~snake bit, HUNTER, second lynching Katzaniel~~Cat~~murdered in secret, second slaughter Vahktang~~Abraham Cartwright~~death by shootout, third lynching Jammeez~~Gertrude "Trudy" Young McAllister~~shot in the back, third slaughter

Nate, his conscience bothering him, decides he must talk to Mr. Cartwright. Nate "Mr. Cartwright, I hate to do this, but I feel it is in the best interests of the wagon train. That girl Cat has disappeared, and I believe that there needs to be some form of justice. I know that this is crude, but we don't exactly have enough time or the resources to set up an investigation and courtroom proper. I'm afraid I have to accuse you of the murders that have taken place so far, as well as Cat's dissapearance." Cartwright "Well, Nathaniel, very stand up of you to say that. But out here when you say a thing like that to a man it's a good idea to have a gun on your hip. Like mine," he says, showing off his colt revolver in it's holster. That way, if you are talking to a guilty man and they decide to shoot you, you can pull your own gun and shoot back." Nathaniel looks shaken, then looks back at the other wagons and witnesses, all too far away to help if he needs it. Cartwright "Same with an innocent man with a hair trigger that doesn't take well to a false accusation," he says, slightly harshly. Ben smiles. "Fortunately, I'm neither. Now, just go back to your encampment, keep you accusations to yourself, don't try these spurious arguements out on anyone else, or you'll be Sorry." Nathaniel pales slightly, but stands his ground. Nate "That sounds an awful lot like a threat, Mr. Cartwright." Cartwright "Take it any way you want to, Nathaniel, just take it away from here. You are no longer welcome near my wagon." Nate stumbles slightly as he walks away, shaken. He is no coward, but he hadn't believed all those wild stories he had heard about how things were settled with a gun instead of a court of law most times in the west. He was starting to believe now though. He heads for the wagon of Jebediah Morgan, wishing to discuss this with their stalwart leader. Nate is surprized at how furious Jeb gets, and at how seriously he takes what he had thought were only vague threats. Jeb signals to Spud, Blue Eagle, and Swede to get their guns in case of trouble and then goes off to confront Mr. Cartwright. he gets to the Cartwrights' wagon and finds utter chaos. There, standing in two groups facing off towards each other are the Cartwrights and the Bluetts. Much yelling is taking place, as Ben Cartwright seems to be accusing each Bluett in turn. The younger Cartwrights stand behind their father, guns in hand, and silent. The Bluetts stand united against the Cartwrights, and are also now all armed. Siding with them is most of the rest of the pioneers, seemingly a bit tired of Cartwrights high and mighty ways. Some had overheard the threat made by Mr. Cartwright, and are ready with their own guns as well. The only person to stand with the Cartwrights is Trudy McAllister, who is currently blistering everyone's ears with her tongue. Jeb steps into the middle. Jeb "HOLD ON FOLKS! CALM DOWN! We have nothing to gain by fighting over this. It is my job to handle thses situations. Now please, return to your wagons and let me deal with this." Most of the group scaters slightly at this, leaving the immediate vicinity, but staying close enough to observe and maybe even hear. Jeb "Mr. Cartwright, I hear that you threatened Mr. Bluett with you gun." Cartwright "He accused me to my face of being a murderer. No man should accuse another of being a drygulcher, especially here in the west, unless they are prepared to defned themselves. I merely reminded him of that." Jeb "Mr. Cartwright, I respect that. However, Mr. Bluett is from a different culture and was acting appropriately according to that culture and his conscience." Cartwright "And I was acting appropriately for mine!" Jeb "There may not be a marshall travelling with us, but we still have law. I am the law here, not you. In the future you shall bring your greivances to me." Cartwright "Fine, Mr. Morgan, fine. I'm a law abiding man and I respect your authority. Just you better warn them Bluetts not to push us any more. Me and my boys don't take kindly to being pushed." Jeb "Warn? Is that another threat, Mister Cartwright? Then I am warning you. Me and my men have you out numbered and out gunned. Any more trouble starts and we'll be finishing it! And, you will be leaving this wagon train in two days when we reach Fort Laramie. Until then, you and your sons will interact with the other travellers as little as possible." Cartwright "That's just fine, Mr. Morgan. And we will be just fine on our own. Just see that YOU don't make any more threats towards us either. Outgunned or not, we can take care of ourselves!" Jeb *draws his gun* "Really? Well, then I guess I'll have to releive you of your guns until we reach the fort . HAND EM OVER!" Ben Cartwright glares at Jeb, staring him in the eye and then reaches for his gun to hand it over. Then, the still afternoon is shattered by the sound of a shotgun blast, causing heads to trun and weapons to be drawn. There beside the Cartwright wagon lies Adam, near cut in half, but still clutching his rifle. Joe MorrisNPC HE WAS ABOUT TO SHOOT! Cartwright YOU KILLED MY SON! DIE! With that Mr. Cartwright, instead of handing his gun over to Jeb, shoots Joe once, twice, then three times, followed by an eruption of gunfire from all sides. In the end, eight people lay dead while another dozen are wounded. Among the dead are all four Cartwrights, Joe Morris, Swede, Pat O'Rielly, and Trudy McAllister. Among the wounded are Jeb, Blue Eagle, Nate (shot in the shoulder), Blondie (grazed across the ribs), and Marcus (shot in the leg). Upon inspecting the bodies, it is found that Trudy, although holding a gun that had been fired, had been shot in the back, murdered under cover of the shootout. Vahktang was innocent and was the lynching. Jammeez was also innocent and was the slaughter. It is day phase once again. You have 48 hous to make your accusations.If you don't find a wolf this day phase the wolves have won.

Pues, tu SPELLING no parece como una problema a mi. Su grammatica necesita uh poquito de ayuda, pero nada mas. El intento de tus palabras es bastante facil entender, entonces, es bastante bien. Yo no puedo escribir poetica en espanol. Tambien no se como usar los symbolos correctos en el KEYBOARD para hacer que las letras y todo es perfecto. ?Pero, que puedes hacer? In other words, I liked the thought behind your poem and didn't think there was a spelling problem, simply a couple of grammatical mistakes, which I may be incorrect on as my spanish is rather rusty. I also don't know how to use the proper things like the ~ or the upside down ? for proper spanish. *shrugs* :wizzie:

Ok, Vahktang is dead. I'm going to combine his death post with the slaughter post. So, wolves, I need your choice for the slaughter.

SCORE CARD Tanny~~Amanda Tanisson~~>>>Vahktang/Cartwright Elwen~~Rosalie Tanisson~~>>>Vahktang/Cartwright Vahktang~~Abraham Cartwright~~>>>Elwen/Rosalie Tannisson Jammeez~~Gertrude "Trudy" Young McAllister~~>>>Elwen/Rosalie Tannisson Merelas~~Nathaniel Bluett~~>>>Vahktang/Cartwright DeantheAdequate~~"Blondie"~~ Degenero~~Markus Black~~>>>Vahktang/Cartwright Solivagus~~Gunther~~>>>Tanny/Amanda Tannisson well, we're only waiting for one vote now with 2 hours to go...Dean/Blondie. However, unless you guys start changing votes back and forth like last time *begins praying that they don't* his vote won't affect the outcome. Mr. Cartwright, are you ready to meet your maker?

OOC: Whoa! Dude! There aint no stinkin problem here. Just keep playin yer character an tryin ta have fun!

Yes, there are OCCASIONALLY reasons to abstain from voting. But many players do so half of the time or more, which skews the game. At the Kenzer boards, it is normal for one or two players to not vote each round. Here it is normal for about half to not vote each round. Yes, here the RP is more important. But all too often when players are going with a null vote they are making an excuse not to use their creativity to find a reason to vote for or against someone. Edmund Burke once said, "Evil wins when good men stand by and do nothing." However, this was not intended to piss everyone off or to force everyone to make stuff up that doesn't apply or to make everyone vote every round. I simply stated no null votes THIS round. You guys are making way to big a deal out of it. Before I was merely teasing you guys for changing back and forth and making my life harder by making me decide who lived and who died. Problem is, that's not MY job as mod. That's YOUR job as the players. I also was trying to push you to bring more creativity to your in game stories, like I saw more of back in WWIII. But, as I said, I wasn't upset...before.

SCORE CARD The Living Tanny~~Amanda Tanisson~~ Elwen~~Rosalie Tanisson~~ Vahktang~~Abraham Cartwright~~ Jammeez~~Gertrude "Trudy" Young McAllister~~ Merelas~~Nathaniel Bluett~~ DeantheAdequate~~"Blondie"~~ Degenero~~Markus Black~~ Solivagus~~Gunther~~ The Dead Eyremon~~Eric Smith~~gunned down by debt collectors, first lynching MeThinksYouFoolish~~ Jake Burrow~~drowned/smashed on rocks, SEER, first slaughter Lady Celes Crusader~~Charlotte Gainsbourg~~snake bit, HUNTER, second lynching Katzaniel~~Cat~~murdered in secret, second slaughter

Blue Eagle, one of your indian guides the entire trip, steps up and speaks. "Me no think that girl left because of story me told. Me also no think she wandered off. Me think she killed. Me watching carefully for killers here in wagon train." He walks off glaring at everyone in general.

In saying to write a story to create an IC reason to accuse someone, I didn't mean write a story involving another character; as in creating background or actions for the other character, as I hate it when that is done to me. I meant, create clues, footprints, etc. Act like a detective, or a tracker. Say you saw someone wandering around in the night or whatever. Just TRY to find a way to accuse someone IC. The deck of cards is great. Or Vahktang had dice roll out of nowhere in one game at Kenzer. Just have fun writing a story in character and let it flow, something may come. And, just because there is no obvious sign of murder doesn't mean that there wasn't one. Not all or even most murders are up front gory in your face obvious. You know that at least two of the deaths/disappearances are murders. You know that there was/still is a murderer among you. A little girl dissappearing should appear suspicious in that light.

that will be decided on a case by case basis... basically, it is because the entire game process is voting someone out, it's the whole point in playing. Here at the Pen it means you must try really hard to make up a reason for accusing someone. (note my first accusation in the Case of Garnavon Hall. I created a backstory for my accusation where I found clues, all of them made up, but that could possibly fit into the story. The Pen is all about creative writing, hence CREATE!) Anyways, the mod shouldn't have to decide the outcome of a vote except on very rare occasions. The players should put in an "abstain" vote or miss a vote/posting only on very rare occasions. Feel free to create all the story you want to support your accusation, as you are all creating much story anyways, which is what is expected here. Feel free to let others stories change your vote...as many times as needed to be true to your character and the story. But still vote.

that will be decided on a case by case basis... was writing an explanation here, but it turned into a bit of a rant, and so as to preserve the story flow here, I moved it to the Werewolf Q+A thread.

After the funeral for Charlotte, the wagon train moves on. The next day they arrive in Cheyenne, Wyoming, a fairly rough cow town. They stay the night, long enough for Adam Cartwright to get in a fight with some locals while drunk in the bar. His father pays the fine with the local sherriff and promises to kep him confined in the wagon until they are well out of the area. Two days later the land begins to rise as the trails turns a bit northward and heads into the first real mountains that the travelers have seen thus far. The terrain is rugged and rocky and the sage brush begins to give way to scrub oak and more cedar. Mixed in is the occasional pine. Also of note is a lovely bright red flower found growing here and there. It seems a rather intriguing flower, because, as Gunther points out, the bright red portions are actually leaves and the actual blossoms are hidden deeper inside the plant. None of the party seem to recognize it and finally they ask thier guides about it. Blue Eagle then relates a story, and old indian legend. He tells the story of a young indian boy who was very skilled at painting in the manner of his people. One night the boy had a dream. In this dream he found the most perfect white doe skin on which he was to paint a master work. The next day the boy came across a trader who had the very same white doe skin he had seen in his dream. So, he offered to trade for it. The old man who had then skin refused to trade for anything that the boy offered. Finally, the boy was frustrated, having offered all he possessed to trade for the skin, and the old man had refused him yet again. "The skin is not for sale, young one," he said, "for it is valuable beyond price. However, I will make a trade with you. I will give you this skin if you will promise me that you will use it to paint your very best work." The boy was amzed, and quite rapidly gave his word. That night he once again had a dream about the skin, and was shown a scene to paint on it. The next day he left on a journey, not knowing exactly where he went, but knowing he would get there. Eventually he found just the perfect spot, a scene he must protray on this skin, but in a style he had never painted before. That evening as the sun was getting ready to set he prepared his paints, making the brightest and richest colors he knew how to make. he then used them to paint the skin in all the colors and beuty he saw in that nights sunset. The next morning, he awoke to find that his perfectly painted skin was missing. He was distraught beyond description. Then, he looked out upon the scene he had painted the night before, and found it transformed. Now, instead of bright green gras and brown soil against a blue sky, the pararie had taken on the colors of the sunset. The field was like it was on fire, the flowers were wo bright, in all the amazing colors seen in the setting sun. When Blue Eagle had finished his story, the travellers were unsure how to react. So, mainly they mumbled vague platitudes and moved on. Only young Cat seemed truely appreciative, saying, "Thankyou for that wonderful story, grandfather. I will remember it always." She then took the time to look more closely at the flower and looked to see the various shades. As the trail climbed ever higher, the animals struggled more and more with the weight of the wagons. Soon everyone was walking instead of riding, and, eventually some of the families had to discard some of their more "cherished" items to lighten the load. A grandfather clock may be a beautiful item and a valuable keepsake, however, it will not feed you nor keep you wark on a cold night. The side of the trail was literally covered with various discarded items that were too heavy to be hauled over the summit. At noon on the fourth day of the ascent the lead wagon crested the summit of Laramie Pass. Amazingly no serious injury had been sustained in the climb, Yet now came the descent, the more perilous part of the mountain pass. yet, once again the group was lucky, having only minor injuries when one wagon broke a wheel and rolled. Near the end of the descent the Cartwright wagon broke its rear axle, but with a bit of teamwork it was quickly repaired. Soon, only a matter of three days, the wagaon train finished the descent from the pass and pulled into Fort Laramie where they would rest for a few days and reprovision. Amanda WHERE'S CAT?! Has anyone seen Cat? Amazingly, no one remembers seeing Cat for many days. In fact, the last time anyone can remember seeing her was just after Blue Eagle's story, almost a week's travel to the other side of the pass! With regret that they were unable to do more, the grop reported the missing girl to the Fort Commander and then moved on. OOPS! those children can be so annoying for how small they are but so darned quiet when they want to be. It sure is easy to misplace them! Katz was an innocent slaughter. Anyone think they know who is a wolf? You have 48 hours to decide. No abstain votes allowed this round. Next major site is Fort Caspar. The day phase will end at Independence Rock, a couple of days later, on the Fourth of July. Feel free to include these sites in your RP.

when Nate and Ben fall asleep that night they have a rather odd dream. They find themselves in a futuristic place surrounded by a crowd of people in stadium like seats. They are in a roped off square and are wearing short pants in bright colors and are wearing strange, wel padded, bright red gloves on their hands. A bell rings and they advance on each other and begin to box. They punch and jab, dance around, duck and dodge....and beat each other bloody. When the bell rings again, they stop. Jab steps into the middle of the ring and asks, "Well boys, have you had enough yet?"

SCORE CARD The Living Tanny~~Amanda Tanisson~~ Elwen~~Rosalie Tanisson~~ Vahktang~~Abraham Cartwright~~ Jammeez~~Gertrude "Trudy" Young McAllister~~ Merelas~~Nathaniel Bluett~~ DeantheAdequate~~"Blondie"~~ Degenero~~Markus Black~~ Solivagus~~Gunther~~ Katzaniel~~Cat~~ The Dead Eyremon~~Eric Smith~~gunned down by debt collectors, first lynching MeThinksYouFoolish~~ Jake Burrow~~drowned/smashed on rocks, SEER, first slaughter Lady Celes Crusader~~Charlotte Gainsbourg~~snake bit, HUNTER, second lynching

Arguments get heated and tempers flare on the hike to and from Courthouse Rock. Nothing gets resolved, however, even though some blows are exchanged. The wagon train moves on, amidst the intermittent fighting among the travellers. A couple of day's travel from the Rocks, the group gets to see another natural monument in stone. this on is a stone spire reaching more than 400 feet straight up, like some giant sewing needle pushed up through the prarie. The wagon train stops near the base of the tower for the night, and, once again the younger folks decide to do a bit of exploring before dark, with the older folks shaking their heads at how the younguns can still have energy for such explorations after a hard day on the trail. At least the arguements have settled down as there have been no further deaths. The last small group of explorers stays a bit too late and is hiking back to camp in the dark. Suddenly one of them screams and Adam Cartwright is yelling for his Pa to come a running and to bring the medical kit. Charlotte has stepped on a rattler in the dark and it bit her on the leg. Mr. Cartwright does what he can for the girl, but she is deathly pale and feverish by morning. After a brief but heated discussion among the men, Jeb approaches everyoen and announces that as they have no doctor with the group that they will be pushing on for a small town that has begun forming at the base of Scott's Bluff. (as a side note, as a kid my parents took myself and my little sister trick-or-treating in Scottsbluff, as it was a smaller, safer town for kids than Cheyenne, Wyoming, which is ten to fifteen miles farther west.) Hopefully there will be a doctor there who can help. The town is but two days distant if the girl can last that long. Blondie and Spud have volunteered to ride ahead on spare horses, hoping to make the trip faster and meet them on the way back with a doctor in tow. Sadly, by the end of the first day of travel, Charlotte is completely delerious and in her demented state is claiming to be some sort of protector of the innocent and proclaims that she CAN'T die because of this. Then, she accuses everyone in sight, including all of you, of trying to kill her and of being murderers. She then falls into a near comatose stupor and never speaks again. She dies quietly sometime in the small hours of the morning. It is a dispirited group that makes its way into Scott's bluff the next evening, where they find that Blondies horse stepped in a gopher hole the previous day and that the two had only made it to town a few short hours before everyone else. OK. OOC: Yes, Lady Celes was the hunter, which I forgot to stress was supposed to be kept secret. Oops, my bad. IC: None of you knows whether or not to beleive Charlotte's wild claims about being some sort of protector. However, with her death by such obvious accident, the accusations die down and things are quiet for the next stretch of your journey. Have fun roleplaying the trip from Scott's Bluff to Cheyenne and from there towards Fort Laramie. Note that the previously flat prarie is getting increasingly rough and broken. Soon after Cheyenne you will see mountains in the distance and will begin steeling yourselves for the difficult ascent up Laramie Pass, a difficult four day ordeal. Wolves, you know what to do now. I await your choice.

AAAAARRRRGGGGH!!!! WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE TRYING TO DO TO ME?! *the mod's head starts spinning around and around and then explodes into a million pieces, killing everyone near.* And, as far as your characters are concerned...A giant herd of rabid buffalo come charging out of no where and trample the entire group, followed by the largest tornado anyone has ever seen destroying everything into such small pieces the the indian tribe that comes by the next day can't find any sign that people were ever there! :woot: Just kidding. this is getig resolved with dice. No more posting until I've posted the death.

hmm...we could always settle this with six guns at high noon!

Now, for a bit of story, what would have been part of the lynching, while we wait... Time seems to pass slowly after the crossing of the river. The land is dry and flat with barely any hills to speak of. There is also very little vegetation, just a bit of sage brush, creosote bush, and stunted cedar. The days pass hot and dusty, the nights cold and filled with the smell of the buffalo chips used for the campfires. Then, towards noon on the fourth day out from the Platte, off in the distance two large mounds can be seen, dark against the skyline. Towards evening the shapes are resolving into a pair of rather large buttes (hills/mountains). Jeb tells everyone that what they are seeing are the twin mountains of Courthouse Rock and Jail Rock, and that you will get to see them up close the next day. The day starts basically the same as all the others since this trip began. You are all awakened by the watch about an hour before sunrise and begin preparing for the days travails. You check the wagons and your horses and/or oxen. Those who are lucky enough to own a milk cow get the priviledge of milking it and then drinking the fresh milk with their breakfast mush. Breakfast, generally speaking, is cornmeal mush. Not very tastey, with a thick, gluey consistency and a grainy texture. It may not be satisfying, but it is filling. The last remaining items are packed up and you start forming a line and moving out right about the same time the sun is beginning to peak over the distant horizon. And then you walk and ride and walk some more, breathing dusty air until you wonder what it would be like to not have a nose full of muddy boogers ever again. You have calluses on your feet, and maybe a few blisters too. And, discouragingly enough, you realize that you have been on the trail less than a month and that there are a good two or maybe even three months to go. And yet you keep trudging on, because, well, the only other option is to lay down and die. And none of you are quitters or you wouldn't have even made it this far. But, on a more cheerful note, the distant buttes get closer by the mile until sometime just before noon you are passing them. Some of you decide it is worth the extra effort to leave the train for a time and go explore. Blondie does so and even takes the time to carve his name into the stone wall of Courthouse Rock. The Cartwrite boys follow his example, as well as Charlotte. Cat, and Amanda, accompanied by Polly. Amanda and Polly are both followed by disapproving stares from their family wagons. But, hey, you only live once! Jeb sends Blue Eagle with the explorers to keep watch and keep them safe and out of trouble. We'll stop here. Go ahead and RP a bit about your visit or lack thereof to the large hills of rock. We will continue this as soon as possible. Sorry for the delay. If the vote is not decided within the next 24 hours I'll roll a die to decide it and move things on. Wolves, Hunter, you may go ahead and prepare your PM's, even send them if you want, so that things can get moving again as soon as this is decided.

tick-tock tick-tock tick-tock TIMES UP! Lady Celes/Charlotte--4 Vahktang/Cartwright--4 Merelas/Nate--1 not voting yet: Solivagus It would appear that we have a tied vote here. Much as I hate to delay things...we'll wait for the "lynching" for Solivagus' vote, unless someone else is inclined to change their vote and break the tie.