-Nate
Introduction
Little Raven was an
Indian boy who didn't like what he saw happening to his people,
giving up traditions ways for the new lifestyle of the white
settlers. When he saw some of them trading valued items for
newfangled tools and other supplies, he took action and stole the
assembled relics from the preacher who was collecting them. Sadly, he
did not manage to escape with the goods, though; instead he was
betrayed and murdered by a frontier doctor, who then arranged for
them to be sold to an eastern collector.
Even death can't
stop Little Raven, however.
His spirit, unable
to find rest, has returned in the form of a haint. What is more, he
has found a group of people who he thinks can help him recover the
items. Using his ability to possess a living person, Little Raven
intends to find out where the goods were sent, and then to go and
retrieve them.
| The Dead
Man's Hand
For
more information about Little Raven, please refer to the following
short story.
|
Adventure
Synopsis
This adventure
begins when Little Raven's spirit, in the form of a haint, uses its
ability to possess one of the Player Characters (see pages 75-6 in
the Sixth Gun rulebook for details). Once inside that host's body, he
then starts a fire at warehouse in Smith's Crossing and, using it as
a distraction, sneaks into the Smiths' home to learn what he can
about the missing cache of native relics. As long as he learns what
he wants—that Rev. Smith sold the items to an eastern collector,
who's using them as part of a touring display to raise money for
“bringing civilization to the heathens”—then Little Raven and
his host begin preparing to go and recover them.
The exhibition,
which is being run by a businessman named Miles Jameson, takes place
aboard a steamboat called the River Maiden. The PCs can mix
and mingle with those who've gathered, learning about the items while
concealing their intentions. Once they've made a plan of action,
then, they can steal the relics and make a run for it.
For
the Gun Master
At first glance,
this might seem like a straightforward heist. The PCs are dealing
with people who have powerful allies, however—and ones who are
likely to seek revenge against offenders. While those repercussions
might not occur during the events of this scenario, they can
certainly provide plot hooks for future adventures.
Involving
the Heroes
In this case, at
least one of the PCs can become involved with this business whether
or not the players want to do so, given that the haint that is Little
Raven's spirit possesses one of them in order to start the fire at
the warehouse and break into the Smiths' home.
| The Host
Admittedly, it's not too much fun playing a possessed character. For that reason, the GM might want to let the player of the possessed PC run a different character while Little Raven possesses his host. Alternately, the PCs could convince Little Raven's spirit (the haint) to possess another host with whom they are willing to cooperate in conducting this theft. |
Scene
1—Arson and Trespassing
To start this
business, the haint that is Little Raven's spirit must make an
opposed Spirit roll. For its target he picks a PC who could be good
at breaking and entering, especially one with good Stealth and
Lockpicking traits. Using that host body, he then takes a gallon jug
of lamp oil, sticks a rag in the end, lights it on fire, and throws
it at the back of the warehouse (building B). At the GM's discretion,
other PCs might make Notice checks, opposed to that character's
Stealth efforts, to recognize that something strange is happening.
Once the fire is
started and the people of Smith's Crossing notice it, they respond
quickly to fight it. Rev. Smith sends a runner to ring the church's
bell, calling out others. They then form a bucket brigade from the
river and start dousing the flames. This activity can be represented
mechanically with a series of five Smarts checks; each one takes two
minutes to accomplish.
At the same time,
the would-be thief heads for the Smiths' house (building G), sneaks
in the front door and up the stairs, and then starts rifling through
drawers and searching for documents. The letter in question is in
Malachi's room, and looks fancy when compared to other
correspondence. It reads:
Dear Rev. Smith,
I
am pleased to invite you to the opening gala of my traveling
exhibition,
Civilization's Frontier. It will include speeches—and you are certainly
welcome to contribute your thoughts—along with items from my
collection. Funds raised will help support missions such as your own.
Civilization's Frontier. It will include speeches—and you are certainly
welcome to contribute your thoughts—along with items from my
collection. Funds raised will help support missions such as your own.
This
traveling exhibition will be hosted aboard the steamboat
River Maiden, which grant us access to any number of ports along the
Mississippi and its tributaries. It will begin on the Sunday six weeks from
my writing, and we will stop by Smith's crossing one week in advance.
River Maiden, which grant us access to any number of ports along the
Mississippi and its tributaries. It will begin on the Sunday six weeks from
my writing, and we will stop by Smith's crossing one week in advance.
Respectfully
yours,
Miles
Jameson
The GM can pick a
date on the letter that is appropriate. Armed with this information,
Little Raven begins preparing to meet the steamship.
Of course, the PCs
probably object to having one of their own possessed by a haint, even
if the spirit's intentions are honorable. Magic is probably the best
option for this, but they might devise other means. Even so, Little
Raven's spirit could then try negotiating with the PCs to secure
their cooperation and perhaps even have a willing host accept the
possession.
| Smith's
Crossing
For
the first scene of this scenario, please refer to the article that
details this small western town.
|
Scene
2—The Exhibition
As mentioned in the
letter, the steamboat River Maiden stops at Smith's Crossing
on the appointed date. It takes on any interested passengers, along
with a fresh supply of wood for fuel. That's when Rev. Smith goes
aboard, and the PCs can, too. This creates an opportunity for
investigation and chances for good roleplaying, a few of which are
detailed below.
The
Host
The gregarious host
of the exhibition is this eastern financier, who made his fortune in
the timber business. He welcomes the PCs to the exhibition and
inquires about their interest in frontier life, Indians and religion.
At the GM's discretion, characters might need to make Persuasion
checks opposed to his Notice efforts in order to keep their true
motives concealed.
Miles
Jameson
Description
Attributes:
Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d4
Skills:
Boating d4, Investigation d6, Knowledge d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d8
Charisma:
--,
Pace:
6”, Parry:
2, Toughness:
5
Edges:
Command, Connections, Filthy Rich, Rich
Hindrances:
Elderly
Gear:
Fancy clothing.
Other
Characters
Listed below are
some of the other characters who might be present for this business.
- Ezekiel Wainwright is the lawman Englelbert Meier sometimes employs to keep the peace aboard the River Maiden. He is here for the exhibition, and might remember the PCs if they attended the Great River Poker Tournament described in the scenario Reversal of Fortune.
- If Reverend Smith suspects that someone rifled through his room during the fire—probably by making a Notice check opposed to the PC's Lockpicking effort after the fact—then he could suspect trouble, and might bring help with him.
- It's quite possible that characters from the PCs' past make an appearance. This could include NPCs from previous scenarios, such as the pickpocket Gerald Lawrence from Reversal of Fortune.
- Characters with elaborate background stories could find that someone from their past is present for this exhibition.
- This is also a good chance for the GM to introduce new NPCs for future plot hooks, ones who might have business for them after seeing how this situation develops.
| The
Steamboat
For the next couple of scenes, please refer to the article about the River Maiden to find deck plans and location descriptions for it. |
The
Relics
The five items are
being kept in Jameson's stateroom—the aftmost one on the starboard
side of the middle deck (area 5)—for safekeeping; they are put on
display in the dining hall on the main deck (area 8) at certain times
in order to impress the guests. Additionally, the dining hall is
filled with painting and sketches by frontier artists depicting
native life, and outside of meal time certain guests are invited to
tell their stories—provided, of course, they reinforce the notion
that Christianity can bring peace and prosperity to the West.
Fundraising
Characters
who think to ask about such matters can confirm that Miles Jameson is
collecting money from his guests; this is kept in a carpet bag
carried by Sheriff Wainwright. This totals something around $1000, in
a mixture of coins and paper money—although the GM can always
adjust that sum based on the needs of the campaign.
A
Means of Escape
One
question that the PC should answer before they make their move is
just how they are going to flee from the riverboat. Options here
include stealing rowboats from the River
Maiden, or having canoes
ready. Once they can reach land, they should have further
transportation ready, such as saddled horses and/or a wagon.
Scene
3—Thieves in the Night
Just how this
situation develops is likely to require a good deal of adjudication
on the part of the GM. After all, there are a number of NPCs present
who might become suspicious of an attempted robbery, and the PCs
could develop any number of schemes for acquiring the relics.
Something to keep
in mind is that Little Raven's spirit doesn't fully trust the PCs
other than the one that he has possessed. For that reason, if he
comes to believe that they're being too cautious—or, worse, that
they don't really intend to steal the items—then he might become
more aggressive in his tactics.
Finally, somebody
might want to stage a major distraction, and hinder any possible
pursuit, by sabotaging the riverboat. This might include
incapacitating the roustabouts who make sure the boiler is filled
with firewood; throwing a few sticks of dynamite into the boiler to
damage it; or any other plan that the PCs can imagine.
Whatever the case,
this burglary is likely to play out in two separate stages. First is
the theft itself, which is probably best represented by dividing the
action into two different sections, with the first focusing on trait
tests and combat for the theft itself, and the second resolving the
PCs' efforts to escape from the riverboat with the items that they've
stolen. The prior can be handled like a standard combat, if a complex
one, using the different characters already introduced.
Scene
4—Fight and Flight
Once the PCs have
the relics in their possession, they should seek to flee the scene.
(This assumes that they don't want to stand their ground and do
battle with everyone who takes an exception to their thievery.)
Rowboats or canoes are perhaps the best conveyances in this
situation, requiring characters to use the Boating trait, along with
the chase rules presented on pages 94-6 of the core rulebook, keeping
in mind the following considerations.
- Treat this as a Standard chase, lasting 5 rounds, as the characters race across the open water to the shoreline.
- Since rowboats and canoes have similar speeds, no characters have any advantage from being in one as opposed to the other.
- The Terrain is not difficult, since this is open water through which the steamboat has been piloted.
- One Passenger in each canoe or rowboat can make a Boating check to help the lead character.
- There are as many rowboats pursuing the PCs as there are important NPCs who want to catch them. That is likely to include Ezekiel Wainwright and Miles Jameson, along with Malachi Smith if he is present, and perhaps others at the GM's discretion. Each is accompanied by a Roustabout.
- Obstacles can include drifting wood (Minor) or rocks in the water (Major); a Disaster results means that a boat has tipped over, dumping the characters aboard it into the water. This, then, becomes a potential Drowning situation.
If the pursuers
manage to catch the PCs, then they might try resorting to such
desperate measures as diving overboard and swimming for it. Keep in
mind, too that Little Raven could try to possess a new host, perhaps
abandoning the PCs altogether, in order to escape with the relics. On
the other hand, as long as they escape, the PCs can do what they will
with the stolen goods.
Epilogue
By stealing the four
relics, the PCs have acquired some items of tremendous value to one
or more Indian tribes. It remains for them to arrange remuneration,
which can take all manner of forms. Even once that has been settled,
however, there's a lot of unfinished business yet to be resolved.
Further
Adventures
Here are just a few
of the possibilities.
- Miles Jameson and his allies could always offer a bounty for capture of the PCs, as well as for recovery of the stolen items.
- Dr. and Mrs. Smith might have other, more direct means of taking revenge against the PCs if any of them have required medical treatment in Smith's Crossing.
- The Indians to whom the PCs deliver these relics might have other jobs for which they need help from those who can mix into white society.
- There's also the fact that Little Raven's spirit still can't rest in peace, due to the fact that part of his body was used to create a Hand of Glory.
Appendix—New
Relics
Detailed here are
game mechanics for the four sacred items that Little Raven is
seeking.
War
Bonnet
The wearer of this
eagle feather headdress gains a +1 bonus as per having a high
Charisma score; this stacks with any other bonuses granted by being
Attractive or from other means.
Coup
Stick
When used against
another character who is a Wild Card, the wielder of this club gains
a bennie upon causing that character an Incapacitation result.
Painted
Shield
This wooden shield,
painted with native symbols, grants a +1 armor bonus to the wielder's
Toughness score.
Medicine
Bag
The one who carries
this medicine bag receives a +1 bonus to all Tribal Medicine rolls.
Appendix—Rowboats
and Canoes
GMs who need to
represent rowboats and canoes during the PCs' escape from the
steamboat can print and cut out the following templates.
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