The Dawn of a New Era

Season Two Prologue

As the sun hits its apex for the day, the outline of dust where Anubis fell stays unmoving as the wind picks up in the Valley of the Dog - which the local inhabitants immediately begin to call The Valley. The dust of Anubis' minions fills the air and the ground is pock marked with holes and shattered rocks reminding those that a battle just took place on this ground not long ago.

The Posse of heroes is meandering around the field. Marguerite’s body had appeared in the Cave after Anubis was defeated. She was breathing very lightly, but no manner of trying could wake her from her sleep. Corman, who was knocked out by Reggie at the end of the battle, remains oddly unconscious for some time as well. After a few more hours of attending to the wounded and gathering up any horses or wagons, Fairfax and Mr. Parker decide it is time for the group to leave. The men from Gomorra talk and thank Reggie for his advanced warning and wish they could have done more before they leave. Fairfax leaves some of his men behind to guard the cave. Fairfax, who started this venture with roughly 30 men, is riding home with about 15 on horses and 3 who needed to be placed in the wagon.

As the Posse rides back you start to hear tales of what just happened in the Great Maze. They hear stories of those crazy “China-men” in Shan Fan raising a twenty foot devil and releasing it on the Maze as retribution on some slight in honor. Others are talking about the destruction across California and especially in Shan Fan. Talking with people on your way home you find out that the docks and warehouse districts in Shan Fan have been very heavily damaged and the shipping business there will be slow for some time now. Also many people talk about the destruction of towns and homes due to a horde of dogs which seemed to be humanoid. Other say it was a tornado, where others have stated an increase of men with black dusters running around the Maze. One thing for sure is that Anubis or some of his minions did raze many of the small mining camps and towns on his way to the Cave.

As some of the destruction you investigate can be ascertained to be his dirty work. The number of people killed attributed to the rampage ranges from 500 to 2000. So far no accurate numbers were able to be identified on your travel back to Freedom. Another area of concern especially for Fairfax and Mr. Parker is it seems that communications between California and the rest of the country has slowed down to horse and carriage for the time being as the telegram wires have been either destroyed in the rampage or cut down by saboteurs.

Why are saboteurs cutting down telegram lines and limiting the communication of newspapers and messages you ask? It is because WAR has actually come to the Great Maze. As Anubis was raging through the Maze, the Mexican forces there began their march of conquest. The Mexican Armada and Army have started to take over mining camps, towns, and ports that belonged to the Republic of California. They are also currently engaged in battle with the Confederate troops down in the southern part of the Maze. People talk of seeing the Mexican forces moving north to take some of the Union enclaves. People mention that the Mexicans are unbeatable as bullets bounce off them and that they march all day and night. How can anyone even think that they can defeat them?

Along with this chaos that has spewed forth, there are stories that a Union Regiment was defeated in ambush by Grimme’s Guardian Angels. That none of the Union soldiers survived and that only their equipment has been found. One thing that has been realized for certain, is that sailing in the Great maze as of late will be dangerous as the Mexican Armada is hunting any ship that does not fly their flag. So far the water ships which are heavily guarded have made it through but many more have been sunk. The Union and the CSA have lost their fleets in surprise attacks at Fort Lincoln and Shannosburg. It takes the group traveling 10 days to make it back to Freedom as you dodge some Mexican patrols and regiments. On the 4th day Marguerite and Corman will wake both feeling very refreshed and healed from any wounds they might have suffered previously.

As you enter Freedom during dusk on September 4th, 1878 the town seems quiet and troops are patrolling all along the border. It seems more like a military encampment than a town now. The Great Maze has become tense as everyone watches to see what the next move will be. Your world is changing in front of your eyes; will you grab the bull by its horns and create your own destiny?

The Journal of Cassandra Kane: Her Adventures in the Wild Wild West

Dime Novel: Prehistoric Trees and Ancient Generals

Real World Date: February 2008

Game World Date: September 1878

Season Two, Episode One

September 4, 1878
Back in Freedom – on the way home I tell stories about our fight with Anubis trying to make people less scared. Showing people that the good guys do win.The tattoo reappears on Corman & Marguerite. Two weeks pass in Freedom.Back in town, I visit with Fairfax again. He asks me about joining his group again. When last we talked about the warehouse, he had asked about me joining and that I need to prove myself by leading this group on a task. He asked if I had accomplished that goal.I told him that I told them what to do and they did follow. Kang has taken over Progress.The Maze has been taken over. Corman and the Captain are suggesting we go after Santa Ana.Mr. Parker wants us to assess the maze. Gather information. Go to Eastman Creek and check on the status there. Ask for Agent Jeffery Foster.Head to Fort Lincoln with The Captain & Corman to talk to General Strong.
September 18, 1878
Grimme’s men are cutting down telegram wires to cause confusion and have attacked some of the Union Army.Maximillian is the Emperor of Mexico. Santa Ana is his general. Reports on Mexican troop movements have them up high as Dragon’s Breath – mostly around Lion’s Roar, Bear’s Claw are Kang’s cities. Red Petal runs them.
September 20, 1878
Back to Freedom.
September 25, 1878
Mexican troops jump us because we didn’t see them sneaking up on us en masse. Except for Corman who was so surprised he noticed the Mexicans that he forgot to tell us.Arrived in Eastman Creek and everyone looks kinda of cagey. Hiding in their houses behind their curtains. We talked to the Ralph the barkeep in the Saloon and he said that there has been a bunch of murders – starting with Jeffery Fosters two weeks ago. Followed by other people. A Rancher, a farmer, and two couple – as recently as two days.I suggested we spend the night searching as it will more likely to find the bad guys as they come out at night.Hunched Mr. Fosters bed: Two “men” hold him down, while a third “man” strangled him with his bare hands. Couple House #1: Same broken down door, tracks of 3 people. The people were dragged out, but the bodies were found inside the house.Hunch: 3 “headless” guys, the people get dragged, cemetery with a tree and 3 nooses. Rancher House: Door busted, dragged out, and then dragged back.Couple #2 House: The last ones killed. Door busted. Same M.O. Ride back to town to find the cemetery and we hear screaming.Ralph the bartender is being hung up.The zombies have their heads stretched out so much that they’ve flopped over onto their backs.We shoot all the zombies & save Ralph.The Captain notices that 4 graves are empty and Ralph says he does recognize some of those guys.As we are looking at the tree it suddenly uproots itself and smacks us with it’s branches, then more zombies come out of the ground. We kill the zombies, try to hurt tree – but it’s got a lot of reach. We kill the zombies, and then the tree starts moving and attacks Corman.Then the Captain shoots the tree and kills it.Ralph gives a room and we go back to the saloon and drink some whiskey and he gives us some food.Hunch the tree: Tree is very old. Many generations old and dormant for a time then in the last few years has it started to become active, and only really recently (2-3 weeks) has it become active enough to start raise undead minions. It’s always been dark & evil. It started using hanging as its method of creating fear when people started using it as a hangin’ tree.
September 26 - 30, 1878
Ride out towards Shan Fan.Arrive in Shan Fan and see Kang’s men patrolling the city. City quieter than it usually is.Catherine talks to her contact Quan Ling.The Captain is going to talk to his contact Ling Lu and gets info on Mexican troop movements.Go to Quan Ling to meet Lu Kwon, there’s supposed to be tea. Which the Captain sincerely knows a lot about.We have to be on our best behavior. We trade information on how to set up a meeting with contact for the unmaking salt-water machine. We need to get back by 3 months.
October 1-5, 1878
Following map to last known location of Santa Ana. Corman is able to sense troop movements. We see some Mexican troops march by. Next day we see Confederate troop movements.We finally find Santa Ana’s encampment and plan an attack. We have the Capt’s men set fire to some of the tents while we sneak into the command tent and try and kill Santa Ana. We run into the tent and see 5 identical guys and 3 of them disappear when hit. 2 remain and are shot down.We hear: “Xitlan (eet-lawn) grant me power grant me strength to destroy these enemies of you”The tent goes dark.Santa Ana shows up and is glowing. Aieslynn manages to dispel his darkness and I ask him to “Diga me sus plannas mala ese!” I can’t understand much of what he says because it’s in Spanish.Santa Ana tries to attack Aieslyn and Jonathan (the raven) shows up and knocks the sword out of his hand.Santa Ana can do what I do and keeps knacking my bolts. And some how he started making Reggie attack us. Finally between Miss Blake hitting him and the Captain shooting at him he finally fell down. Then his bracelet starting glowing then he got back up and the bracelet disintegrating. He makes it dark again and then teleports away. I run outside the tent and see him running off. I suspect he can’t knack anymore and I blast him and he calls out to “Xitlan” to save him. But instead he glows and he then a blue aura appears around him that look like him as he is young, then he looks old (Santa Ana’s supposed to be old but look kinda young), then he looks skeletal and then turns to dust. I guess “Xitlan” didn’t save him. The Captain runs out and grabs his stuff; I go back in the tent to check on everyone else. Corman had grabbed his sword. Then we realized that we heard Ornathopters in the air and gatling guns. A bunch of men in black, like Reggie, are flying the Ornathopters. They lower rope ladders to get us out of the valley since the undead have begun to turn around and head back to the middle of the camp.Corman knocks out Reggie. As he owes him one.Cort Williams, Reggie’s contact from Gomorra is in one of the copters.
Loot:
Helmet: I see an Aztec guy making the helmet. Then I see him pulling strings between a man sitting on a throne in front of the Mexican flag (The Emperor?) and more string to Santa Ana. I see him give the helmet to Santa Ana. It’s a major focus for controlling undead. And there is some other dark power in it but I can’t tell.A death effect hits me.
Sword: See the same Aztec guy making the sword and giving it to Santa Ana. Aztec guy hates the white man / the United States / Spanish Conquistadors. I get the impression he was shot & killed by a Spanish Conquistador. Another presence is connected to the sword and it’s paying attention to me. Not sure if it’s that Aztec guy. Sword also has a draining effect. It drains life.
Breastplate: Same guy making breastplate and giving it to Santa Ana. This is what made him tough and something very dark is connected to that as well.A death effect hits me.I tell everyone what these things do. Since this is a mission for General Strong the items would go to him since they are very very bad. The Captain says that the General is trust worthy and will not use these items and keep them safe.