Spelunking we will go

The following is the third scene from my Six Gun Sound Campaign.  The Diltons have holed up in a cave and a Posse has been dispatched to exact justice and return Silus’ money.

                              Rep         Toughness        Sand

Ben Dilton                 5                 4                   5

James Dilton             4                 4                   5

Zach Dilton                4                 4                   3

Emma                       3                 4                  3

Howard                     5                 4                   5

Frank                        4                 5                   4

Henry                        3                 3                   5

Jim-Bob, Edward, Chun-ho & Jonathon     3           3           3

Inside cave

“This sure is a spooky feeling cave, Ben”, Dylan stated nervously.  “The rocks seem to be giving off a slight glow.”

“Find your spine and get ready as we don’t know if we lost the Posse or not!  Without the glow we wouldn’t be able to see nothing in here would we?”, Ben replied harshly, as he made his way outside to look over the horses. 

“I’ll come with you and see what I can find in the stagecoach" Zack quipped.

Paradice Saloon

“Boss, we have the Diltons holed up in a cave west from here.  What do you want us to do now?” asked James.  As Silus opened a drawer in his desk he replied “Form a mob and go hunt them down.  Here take this, it might help.  If you need to, throw this and it will help.” He then proceeded to hand over something wrapped in rags.

James then left the Saloon and started to organise the Posse.  After 15 minutes all he could raise were 4 of the townsfolk, one of which was Henry, the brother of the man who was killed by the Diltons during their first foray into town.  Thoughts of revenge filled his every waking moment and he jumped at the chance to get revenge.  As the group were about to leave, Silus approached, “James, inform the group where the Diltons have gone to ground so they can meet up with Howard and Frank.  I need you to do something special like for me.”  With this he led James back into the Saloon and the townsfolk rode off west.

An hour later the Posse arrives at the cave and after giving Howard the parcel, they split up into two groups, with each hiding behind a large rock formation.  Outside Ben and Zack can be seen tending the horses and stagecoach.

Turn 1. (3,2)

Frank’s group move up to take cover at the edge of the formation his group is behind.  He spies Ben, draws his pistol and takes a snap shot at Ben.  Ben looks up, and with a blur of motion draws his gun and fires back hitting Frank in the gun-hand, causing a wound.  After a brief fire-fight, Ben drops to the ground with a nasty chest wound.

Howard’s group also take cover in their rock formation.

Zach, having heard the gunshots, keeps low and runs to his brother and drags him back in to the cave.

Turn 2 (2,1)

Cautiously the two groups move towards the cave, weary of being shot at by unseen Diltons.  Henry decides that it is taking too long, now that revenge is so close, so moves faster than his group.

Zach places Ben just inside the cave and moves further in and takes up a defensive position.

Turn 3 (4, 6)

Due to Frank’s hand wound, his group stop and wait for him to bandage it as best as possible while, Howard’s group moves closer.

Turn 4 (2,1)

Henry moves as fast as he can and rushes into the cave while Frank and Edward move forward.  As Henry’s eyes adjust to the darkness, he cannot see a thing when suddenly a deafening BOOM!! is heard and Henry falls to the ground with buckshot in his chest and head.  As his limp body drops to the ground, a low, barely audible moaning and screaming emits from the very walls and all in the cave, go white with fear (as a result of this, while in the cave all characters have a –1 to their sand).

The remaining Diltons shiver and look at each other with worried expressions.

Turn 5 (3,5)

“Everyone, wait until I give the word, then proceed to enter the cave.”  As Howard says this, he steps forward , unwraps the parcel Henry gave him and throws the object into the cave entrance.  Edward catches a glimpse of it just before it enters the cave and wonders why Howard threw a bottle.

Howard counts to three and yells, “GO!”  As the remaining Posse members make their way through the cave entrance, the mouth is starting to fill up with smoke.

Dylan is the only Dilton that has a chance of responding to this but due to the smoke, he cough and wheezes and misses his opportunity.

Turn 6 (5,2)

As the entrance is stilled filled with smoke, the Posse wait as they don’t want to rush in to God-knows-what, except for Howard who puts another bullet into Ben Dilton.  As he does this the glow in the cave grows slightly brighter.

The Diltons move further away from the smoke and now the smoke dissipates enough to where LOS can be drawn but makes it still hard to shoot.

 

Turn 7 (1,2)

Dylan can see vague targets in the smoke haze but is now out of range with his shotgun while Zach cannot see anyone at all.

As Howard orders Jim-bob to go deeper in to the cave, he places his hand on his pistol to give more ‘weight’ to the order.  With a quick glance at Howard’s hip, Jim-Bob rushes throw the haze and goes deeper inwards.  A wicked smile forms on Dylan’s mouth as he sees Jim-Bob come closer and as he raises his shotgun to fire, he clasps at his head as the moaning starts to reverberate through his skull.  Jim-Bob fires at Dylan and misses.  The fear of being shot at pulls Dylan from his agony and he engages Jim-Bob in a brief fire-fight which results in Dylan ducking back for cover.

Edward advances further in and engages Zach in a fire-fight with the final result being Edward dead as a bullet hits an artery in his left leg.

Mere seconds after Edward’s death, the rocks start emitting a brighter, yet somehow deathly glow and the temperature within the cave drops dramatically (giving each character a –1 T)

Jonathon starts to panic but instead of flight, he decides fighting is the better option and charges at Dylan, screaming and frothing at the mouth.  Dylan seeing this, decides that flight is the better option and throws his weapons on the ground and surrenders.  Chun-ho is sent to look after him.  Emma has also had enough and decides that this cave is just way to spooky and runs out of the cave.  Howard lets her go, as her punishment can wait. 

“Zach Dilton, this is you last chance, throw down your ‘irons’ and surrender, otherwise the only way you will be leavin’ here is feet first.”
”Come and make me”, Zack screams and shoots blindly in to the cave.

Howard and Frank move forward and Howard moves in to Zacks line of sight.  Zach raises his pistol, but Howard is quicker and fires 3 shots and Zach is hit in the hand and chest and slumps to the ground with his life blood spilling to the cave floor.  The wind picks up suddenly, and almost rips Howard and Frank off their feet then just as suddenly stops.

Howard moves towards Dylan and demands”Where is the money?  If you tell me I will spare you.” 

“It is over there in the boxes”, Dylan whimpers.  Frank moves over and checks the boxes.

“It’s all here,” Frank yells after a quick glance.

As Howards raises his gun, Dylan sobs “I thought I was going to be spared?”

“Yes, you are being spared a slow death!” Howard states and then repeatedly pulls the trigger and filling Zach’s chest with lead. 

As Frank and Howard leave the cave, a blindingly bright flash emanates from the walls and Zach’s body seems to move in the gloom.