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.

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

Dime Novel: The Fall of Anubis

Real World Date: December 2007

Game World Date: August 1878

Episode Eight

August 8, 1878

Back in Freedom.Mr. Parker introduces us to a new man hired by Mr. Conking. Mr. Murphy O’Nine. He says he’s a bare-knuckled brawler from New York. Catherine is back at the house too.

August 9, 1878

Gabriel shows up at the house looking for me and Marguerite to meet with Mr. Fairfax. He’s back in town and has a map of a warehouse in Shan Fran that the cultist are using as a hideout. The Captain came with us. He talks to us about a plan to attack the cultist who because off the attacks between our two groups on them are looking to try and bring Anabas into this world. Even though their chances may be slim they still want to try and bring him. Their plan is to control him, but because the chances of success aren’t as good anymore they may end up bringing him in and he will have his own free will. Which means he’ll probably head for the “Lost Cave”He said that the cult has the warehouse protected from scrying and was wondering if Marguerite or Aieslyn have a way to break through the divinations and see what is there. The cultist have been able to protect against Fairfax’s scrying – but maybe they can defend us the ladies.They agree and make plans to have us go on a vision quest. Meanwhile Fairfax and his men will be attacking a train that has supplies that were to help the ritual.

Vision:

Flash: Green grass, a field. Union & Rebel soldiers fighting during the day. Then it’s night and they are fighting against the dead that rise at night.

Flash: The Lost Cave. Cleaned up and the old man with the white hair writing math calculations. See him next to a deck of cards.

Flash: The French Quarter in New Orleans. Black man with a hat and a cane and a nice suit walking down the street.

Flash: Standing in water. Men on horses wearing armor attacking men wearing in wode. (Roman Catholics fighting the Celts)

Flash: In a field, feeling warm, a bonfire. A black man all voodoo’d up walking around the bonfire.

Flash: Men in a room. With white wigs and uniforms and a logo (Mason’s)Flash: Darkness. Feeling like something in the darkness. All alone. Really scared.

Flash: James & Horatio – See them getting into a box like machine. A stagecoach of some sort. Horatio carrying a box with all difference runes on it.

Flash: Grimme’s room. He’s at a desk and the hems of his robes are blood covered and he is getting soaked on the robe. A black “thread” is connected from his neck going up into the sky.Aieslyn attacks the “thread” with her parasol. It doesn’t work. He then noticed us and it got ugly!!! He attacks her and kills her. Her soul goes into his hickory stick. Marguerite frenzy’s and just attacks Grimme. We attack him and can’t hurt him. Well I do, and then he tries to hit me and I let the magic wash over me. And then he talked to us saying we failed once again and then changed the vision.

Flash: In the woods, at dammed streambed. Raven shows up and lands near Aieslyn. He says his name in Jonathan and he was here to guide her. We ask if he can fix her and he says no. Our current test is to undam the river. Murphy tries and can’t. I figure out that maybe we should try to clear it out together. Which does work and then we follow the stream. Suddenly Aieslyn wakes up. She some how comes back to life. She said she was in Ireland. She said she saw the warehouse – a summoning circle with lots of men. Anubis comes through and starts laying waste to everyone.The landscape changes and it gets marshy, then bleak and dry and we see a black pyramid in the background. The dread kicks back in. We see a jackal headed man embalming a man on an altar. The man is the white haired old guy from the Lost Cave.I ask the “man” if he is Anubis – he says some call him that. He says we should leave because he is preparing the ritual. Stupidly he is asked about what is in the warehouse and what is in it. He says he can’t tell us unless someone offers themselves up willing. I don’t think it’s a good idea and a lot of the others don’t either but Marguerite offers her self up. She and Anubis disappear.

Flash: He reappears again and says what is in the warehouse is death, destruction and his army that will be brought into the world. And then he prepares to attack us.I blast him with my bolts. I hit him really well it stops him for a second, but then he shakes it off. Reggie shoots him too and then Catherine is able to finish him off. But then the dead old man’s eyes turn green and he says “foolish humans” and is about to attack us. I blast him and he goes down. But then Anubis gets back up. We take Anubis down again and the man gets back up. I cut off Anubis head and I feel deadly magics wash over me twice. Corman knocks down the old man and cuts off his head and then he dies.

Flash: Everything feels weird and swirly. Like going down a drain. Everything is dark and we could see what looks like puppeteer hands pulling strings.We wake up in the basement and Corman isn’t dead (but he has a tattoo on his arm). Marguerite is not there.We go wake up Mr. Parker and tell him what happened. Then we wait for Mr. Fairfax to get back from blowing up the train.

August 11, 1878

Fairfax returns and we tell him what happened. We immediately leave for Shan Fran.We head to Fort Lincoln first then end up on a boat.

August 17, 1878

Arrive in Shan Fran and try to gather Intel.Talk to Mr. Howe (our man in Shan Fran who we were at dinner with when he got attacked by Ninjas) he agrees to have his men keep anyone from interrupting us when the noise starts.Catherine’s contact gets us uniforms of chinamen delivery people.We start fighting all the cultist and jackal men. I bolt down the cultist doing the ritual but of course the ritual had already finished. Anubis comes through and he has a shiny orb in his hand which emits a light and all the dead get up and start attacking again. Murphy O’Nine is scared he said “that is some…he used two very bad words..there”.Reggie shoots at the amulet on Anubis neck destroying it. We all feel a little more lucky. The rest of his bullets bounce off him. Mr. Parker bolts him and his magic can’t get through.Aieslyn starts dancing around and closes down the portal that Anubis came through. Anubis starts charging toward Fairfax’s men. He realizes that his men aren’t with him and he gets angry. Charges through the “leather duster” brigade and busts out of the warehouse heading for the “Lost Cave” – we assume. But it’s 7 days away and we have no way to get there fast enough. He doesn’t have to sleep.I hunch the clock that we saw sitting on the altar in the middle of the summoning circle. It’s one of the items from the Cave.Hunch: I see the old man writing a formula in the air and changing the clock to 9:12 while holding the Hoyle book. He then opens the cave door and walks into a nice room with a desk and two American flags on the wall (the oval office). This formula is now in my head.I hunch the amulet that Anubis wore: I see another formula in hieroglyphs that I think used with Aieslyn’s magic can close the portal and cut his connection. I also see Marguerite. Can’t tell where she is, only that she’s trapped and still connected to him.Reggie goes off and sends a telegram to his men.I tell everyone and have them go get supplies. Fairfax sends some of his men ahead to warn people about Anubis. The rest of his men that survived, the Captain’s men, and the rest of us walk through the door after I write the formula in the air and use the clock and book. The door of the warehouse opens into the Cave and we walk through. Once we get there I close the door and when I reopen it I see the outside of the Cave. But I can’t remember the formula anymore.

August 18-24, 1878

Then I write down the hieroglyphs for Aieslyn to use to shut down the portal. It’s a four-day ritual that Parker, Gabriel, Jebediah, Aieslyn and I take turns doing for 4 days straight.

August 25, 1878

Agents show up and say that Anubis is coming and that they’ve managed to slow him a day by dropping a mountain on him. Aieslyn starts up the last ritual while Anubis marches up. The Captain tries to parlay with him. Corman joins Anubis’ side (cause off the mark on his wrist).Murphy grabs Anubis and puts him in a headlock. Aieslyn walks up to Anubis and dispel the rest of the chain on him, there’s a flash of light and Marguerites unconscious body appears next Anubis. He is still able to call his dust jackals to help – that the Van Helsing’s brigade and the Captain’s men take on those guys. I hit Anubis with several bolts before he finally dies; along with Murphy’s noogies (he bit him on the ear).After the battle is over. Reggie knocks Corman out for 4 hours just to make sure he’s still not dominated. The tattoo is gone.

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

Dime Novel: Hellstromme Strikes Back

Real World Date: October 2007

Game World Date: August 1878

Episode Seven

August 3, 1878

- continued Took the body to autopsy wound in his head only one that would not heal. (We didn’t make that wound) on the table he “ghosted” through the table and floor and out of the building.We then met up with Nevada to tell him.Salt Lake City Grand – we are going to stay there until Nevada meets up with us tomorrow. Talk to Red at the front desk.Andrew Land is head of Agency (MIB) and has taken files on people.

August 4, 1878

Arnold Nash (MIB / US Marshall) tells us that Lane turned himself in to Nevada seems to be his old self.Mr. Nash wants to interview us about the ordeal.Go see Mr. Smith.Corman runs into 3 guys from his regiment.Bragan Sheiligh – Aislynn Father.Chinaman show up and attack us. (Me & Corman) in a bar fight. We find a $300 bank note signed by Monica Haynes as a bounty for me. I let the last Chinamen go.Meet with Mr. Smith and ask about Lane situation. He was assassinated 13 years ago. He’s Harrowed.Leave town to go into Salt Flats to help Corman’s men. They were getting attacked by guys outside of town.We get attacked by 6 automatons outside the city. Many of the Captain’s men are killed and one of Corman’s. We destroy them all but they explode when disabled.

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

Dime Novel: The Adventure of the Walking Ghost

Real World Date: September 2007

Game World Date: July 1878

Episode 6

July 16-25, 1878

Back in Freedom – The Lt. goes to Sacramento and comes back a Captain.Mr. Parker shows up with some lady: Catherine Blake. Aieslyn is not happy – neither is Corman.She’s British and says she studied with dot Injuns and can brawl and says she is good with lots of weapons. But she doesn’t know how to use a tomahawk! She also says that Congressman Conkling is her Uncle.Harrison says there are wanted posters of us in Lost Angels. $500 for us, $2000 for Miss Marguerite. Grimme wants us all dead except for Marguerite.Mr. Parker has a mission for us in Gomorra. Northern Operatives have been captured. Gomorra is a Ghost Rock mine town. North & South share this town.Our contact is Cort Williams we’ll meet him at the Red Hill Hotel. He’s a new friend of Reggie’s (I think Reggie’s a Pinkerton)Taking a train from Lincoln to Gomorra. Lincoln is still being built up.Corman gets his new mechanical hand. Miss Aiselynn is not happy.

July 25, 1878

Riding on the train asleep I feel magic try and attack me.We got attacked on the train by Grimme’s men…well woman and some blood zombies. The woman was after Marguerite and she talked to her. Everyone else got bloody zombies and I got magicked. We destroyed the zombies but the lady got away. Magicked away.

July 26, 1878

Get off train at Gomorra and it’s full of giant caters and burnt buildings.One of the buildings that got hit was the Collegiums (Smith & Robards competitor)Hunch: The other crater was the Whatley estate. Family of Magic users – it’s in their blood. 11 people died fighting the demon (black demon with yellow eyes) Old Lady (Matriarch) died. Painful death.Charlie Landers – Bartender in Saloon. He said Nichodemus Whatley attacked Cort Williams.Andrew Lane – Missing person – Head of US Marshals.Hunch: Blank – can’t pierce.Demon attacked town 2 weeks ago. Mr. Lane missing 4 days ago when US Marshals attacked.Marguerite got a vision using Andrew’s blood. Sees him incapacitated but still alive then vision cut off.5 days ago Lane sent a telegram – before he went missing.Shenkar Mohammad in Sacramento & Virgil Constance in Virginia City (US Marshals)Urgent stop transport of grandpa’s gift. Will arrive in Sacramento or Virginia City to reclaim the package.

July 27, 1878

Get on Train to Fort Lincoln then to Sacramento – Embarcadero

July 29, 1878

Rat District – Brimmerton Hotel.Help out in a building that’s collapsed. Help clear rubble to save people.Written in Persian on top of the door or Mohammed’s place:“The Real truth of existence is sealed ????Many twists and turns of the road.”2 cameras facing a mirror – we mess with them and Gremlins show up.Find Shenkar Mohammed eviscerated.

Hunch: Saw blond woman (Nun) – not the same woman as attacked us on train & man in shadows eviscerates Shenkar. Onto Virginia City.

July 30, 1878

Virginia City, Nevada

Get to Virgil Constance’s house. Whatelys are there to set up for an ambush. I magic the two Whatleys & everyone else takes the others across the street.Two dead Pinkertons in the house and man with cross found in kitchen. Virgil Constance – the Nun & Lane attacked him (Lane is possessed)The Capt. & Reggie shoot all the people even after they surrendered. I don’t know what to do about them; I need to make them not be so mean and nasty.Pulls out letter & points to crucifix “Beware of this” he points to the crucifix.

July 31, 1878

Taking a train to Salt Lake.

August 2, 1878

Train stops. There’s a train on the tracks – the engine’s gone. Zombies are attacking the train. A blond lady Nun (Regina) is there and we kill her. She had a dime store novel on her. One of Nevada Smith’s tales. The authors name is circled “I.M Hymm. Looks like she was going to find him.

August 3, 1878

Salt Lake – Meet Mr. IM Hymm and talk to him about Andrew Lane & Grimme & Nun. He said he will set up meeting with us to meet Mr. Smith.Lane was sent to meet with Nevada (who he employs occasionally). Set up a meeting with the Union Army and the leaders of Salt Lake. Probably to kill them now.Make a plan with Mr. Smith to get Lane (captured) while Nevada leads off people he is going to meet.Fought Lane on steel tree next to Rat Hole. We shot him down and he got back up ghosted up and we shot him down again. The Marguerite ripped the crucifix that was burned into his flesh off of him.He didn’t get up but he’s not “alive” though Aieslyn could heal his body.Corman crushed the crucifix with his new hand and inside there was a splinter of wood which radiated evil. He was able to crush that too. The Nun lady Regina had the same crucifix which we destroyed too.

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

Dime Novel: The Lost Cave

Real World Date: July 2007

Game World Date: July 1878

Episode Five

July 1, 1878

Aieslyn, Marguerite, and Reggie researched with Mr. Thomas about the chalice and about Henry Johnson’s journal in the Library in Progress. James tells us about mundane items or power. He knows about 40 of them. So he’s not too upset about us taking the chalice – which supposedly can bring some one back to life, or heal wounds, or get rid of scars. But if someone drinks from it they fall asleep.Mr. Parker & Captain Miller (who we haven’t seen since we last saw Mr. Conkling) show up in Progress.I tell Mr. Thomas we’re leaving and tell him that he send us a telegram in Freedom if he wants to talk to us. He says that we can contact him in Progress.Capt. Miller has a mission for us from Mr. Conkling about Reverend Grimme. He wants us to stop one of Grimme’s operations. He is trying to locate some items.Capt. Miller takes the Lt, Corman, and some of the Lt’s men with him on ahead to scout. The rest of us along with some of the Lt’s men take a different path.The middle of the night Zombie Henry Johnson shows up looking for the chalice aiming right towards Aieslyn. I guess he can tell that she’s the one holding it. After we shoot him all up she gave it to me to hold. Figure it’s not that good to get our healer getting attacked.

July 2, 1878

Nothin’ much happens.

July 3, 1878

We hear gunshots in the distance. Found a bunch of Injuns chasing after Mr. James & Mr. Gates. Mr. Gates gets hurt real bad but Aieslyn was able to fix him. We save them from the Injuns. Mr. Thomas said they were checking out a potential dig site which was on Injun land. Mr. Parker says they can come along with us. Though it does look Mr. Parker is kinda sweet on Aieslyn.

July 4, 1878

Scouts see a group of Confederate soldiers muckin’ about. We avoid them.

July 5, 1878

Attacked in the middle of the night by a bunch of stuff. Cultist, Anubis demons (those guys we came across in the mountains a few months back). There were a whole bunch of them. I don’t know how they found or followed or snuck up on us. But it was a crazy amount of them. If it wasn’t for Reggie and his dynamite and his lucky I’m certain we would have had a lot more deaths on our hands. As it was I got swiped twice by one of those demons and it hurt! I managed to use my Hex to blow a hole right through him. I had to take on the last one not blown up by the dynamite too. I was damn lucky with my second Hex too.After the carnage and the healing we looked around and found the body of James. It was so sad. He was one of Mr. Fairfax’s men. He was dead and in chains and it looked like he’d be dragged along by the cultists. I’d forgot that the last letter I had gotten from Mr. Fairfax was him telling me that he was looking for those cultists. I hope the rest of them are okay. We buried his body and took a cross of it to give to Mr. Fairfax.He must have been a prisoner.

July 6, 1878

We find a cave entrance. This might be what we’re looking for. We find a room inside the cave, door, furniture, all done up. Dusty and dirty like anyone hasn’t’ been there for along time. There’s a big ritual circle on the floor in the middle of the room.

HUNCH: I see my Hoyle book.The room that started it all.And old man – his face is blurry. He’s working on a ritual, but he’s writing the runes in the air and they are staying there.I can see around his room, I see the chalice, I also see a bunch of things that are on the list Mr. Thomas gave us of mundane items, the musket, pencil, some books.Then he’s working on the ritual. And the place shakes. It looks like the room rips apart, then there’s a bright white light.I see my book, a skeleton key, and the door.

After playing around and trying different things I figure that holding my book while opening the door (once everyone’s on the outside of it) opens up into a nicer cleaner version of the room. The fireplace is burning and everything looks clean. We find a coat in the closet (that wasn’t there when the room looked dirty). The Lt’s men were looking for us because once we leave the room he said he could see into the room and it was dirty and empty. We also figured out everything in the room is an item (not the furniture) and that it can be stored in the clean room. But we collect it all for Mr. Parker to take. I’m thinking it was this guy’s ritual that started all the magical stuff going in the world.

July 11, 1878

We make it back to Progress. Mr. Thomas & Gates say their farewells. I send a telegram to Mr. Fairfax, and we charter a boat home.

July 15, 1878

Lincoln

July 16, 1878

Freedom – Mr. Parker lets Aieslyn hang on to the occult books from the room only for some time. He said he’ll wait and send them back in the second batch. It looks like Mr. Parker wants to ask me about handing over my book. But he doesn’t.He can’t have it anyway. It was gift from Mr. Fairfax.

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

Dime Novel: The Battle of Five Armies

Real World Date: April 2007

Game World Date: June 1878

Episode Four

June 13, 1878

We arrive back in Fort Lincoln after the whole Grimme thing.

Corman is not a good a mood about how we got back on the boat. Geez, you’d think he’d be happier if he ended up dead. Or stayed dead in his case since he’s pretty insistent that he was dead dead.

Reggie took off the second we hit land.

Back in Freedom with give Mr. Parker the report on the happenings with the invention and our slight altercation with Reverend Grimme.

Mr. Parkers says to stay away from Reverend Grimme directly but we could attack his (evil) missionaries.

But he doesn’t have a new mission for us yet.

I’m sending a letter & telegram to Mr. Fairfax.

Reggie shows back up all cleaned up and with a brand new outfit!

The Lieutenant says he got some orders from his commanding officer. He needs to find out why Mexican troops are marching around California.

So after a couple of days rest we’re gonna head out to Progress. A town in the maze.

June 18, 1878

Corman’s really mean. He knew what Progress would be like and didn’t tell us. He knew it would make Aieslynn unhappy being in a town full of Ghost Rock inventions and he wanted to laugh at her.

Except for Aieslynn being unhappy it’s really a neat place. It’s full of Scientists and their amazin’ inventions. This giant lift thing could take you up the side of the cliff. I walked up all the stairs with Aieslynn to keep her company.

A guy was flying around with a pack of some kind. He didn’t get far before he fell.

I meet a Mr. Jeffery Sampson – who made a bullet proof vest. Cost about $1800 though.

We didn’t spend much time in town as it was making Miss Aieslynn nervous and cranky so we headed out looking for the Mexicans. We heard they were looking for Pirates, and that the Pirates were looking for something on the Coast.

Corman hates Mexicans.

June 19, 1878

Headed further South by horse and found the battlefield wither the Mexicans and Pirates fought a few weeks back (May 5^th Tombstone). Big bloody field, but no bodies.

I “saw” the battle.

We decided to head further in from the Coast –maybe we could find what everyone was looking for.

One point during Miss Marguerite’s nightly “activities” she got accosted by 5 Guardian Angels. She did a good job of fending them off by herself. Some of the Lt’s men helped finish them off. Guess I gotta make sure to follow her when she wanders off. Told her it wasn’t safe.

June 20, 1878

Passed by a group of Confederate soldiers looking for any remnants of the Mexicans. Reggie, Corman, and the Lt get all tetchy. But luckily no gun fighting ensues.

We came up on a campfire and met a Mr. James Thomas and his friend Horatio Gates. Mr. Thomas is some sort of professor archeologist type. He’s gonna write a paper about the thing he’s looking for. He really didn’t want to tell us – guess he thought we’d steal his idea for a paper.

He did say he saw the Mexicans ride by a couple of days ago.

We finally convince him to tell us what he’s looking for. He says it a chalice and he just looking for it for academic curiosity. That it’s own by someone in Progress named Henry Johnson but it hasn’t been seen in a while. He thinks it’s in the mountains close by.

He seems nice but a little wary of our group.

We keep going to see if we can catch up with the Mexican army.

Corman goes to scout their encampment and says there’s 5 HUGE tends that smell of Death.

Yay. More Zombies.

We decide to plan an ambush on a patrol and capture one alive to find out what he knows. Our captive says that they have bodies from the battlefields and ones that they brought off the boats. And f15 bad magic men are doing something with all the undead. Making the army look bigger than is is my guess.

Then in the middle of the night we see them start to break camp and moving to the East. We figured we’ll try to get ahead of them (we also see lights from another camp nearby) and we’ll go check out the other camp.

But then we hear Horses behind us and it’s James & Horatio – they stop and talk to us and Mr. Thomas says he just cracked the last clue and figured out where the chalice is, so we head of with him to find it. Not surprisingly the Mexican army is moving into the foothills of the mountain – just where Mr. Thomas figured the chalice might be.

We arrive ahead of the army and the Lt’s men keep watch to let us know how close they are getting.

We find a cave in the side of the mountain and follow it. The path leads into bunches of rooms and Miss Marguerite takes down all the magic in each of the room before we go into it. Don’t know what it might have done but it couldn’t have been good.

The last room has a guy (dead guy) in a chair with 2 cylinders in his hands. Not surprising he gets up to attack us, but we take him down right quick – before he can even attack us. Reggie takes the gun shaped cylinder things.

We find the chalice buried in a box in the ground under his chair.

After that we try to get a move on but one of the Lt’s men finds us and says that the Mexican Army and the Confederate Army have met up and are fighting. And the battlefield is right outside the cave entrance.

So before you know it (with plans for Mr. Thomas to get away with the chalice if need be, meeting up with us in Progress) we fight on the Grey coats side. They really aren’t paying attention to us. I’m sure the Lt was right cranky about fighting with them, but it’s more like fighting against the Mexican mostly zombie army lead by Santa Ana.

We figured we’d fight our way through enemy lines and just keep going and get the heck out of there. Ooh and by the way it was night time and raining and all dramatic!

It’s pretty tough as we were making our way through and Miss Marguerite was throwing off her stunnin’ spells. And most of us were just shooting at anything in front of us so we can ride the horses hard by.

Then the lightening started! Suddenly more undead are surrounding us but there wearing closer to the Union outfits but in black. More of the those undead 51^st infantry guys that have been following Corman around. Then we hear something unearthly yell “Cooooorrrrmannnnnn!”

And it’s that Colonel Blackstone fella (that Corman hates – and who apparently hates him too). He tells us his evil plan that he wants the chalice so it could bind him to this mortal coil and that killing Corman is just a perk!”

Reggie then shoots him out of existence in a flurry of bullets!!! We think were in the clear for about a minute when… more lightening and he comes back!

This time Mr. Thomas hexes him right out of existence before he can do anything. We keep waiting for him to come back I’m thinking that maybe on Corman killing him deader will keep him away. But I guess he must have run out of time cause he didn’t come back this time.

Course now we’ve stopped moving in the middle of battle and it’s harder to get the horses going again as were surrounded by 2 types of undead (luckily some are fighting each other), Mexican’s and our allies the Confederacy.

THEN we hear this noise and look up and see a guy in a Derby (I think THE guy in the Derby) flying up to us in that Ornathopter thingy and firing at the undead and Mexicans and trying to give us a clear path through. Suffice it to say Aieslynn is confused. The ‘feds are cheering us (heck they think the Lt is a hero!!) and we finally fight our way through the battle.

We almost made it out, really hurt but alive, when some of Santa Ana’s spell slingers hit us with a blast of fire. One of the Lt’s soldiers.. sitting right in front of me on my horse was killed. I didn’t even know until finally got through. Aieslynn was just this side of dying herself. Up until then she’d been really lucky. Marguerite managed to pull her through – it was close though.

June 24, 1878

We’re gonna rest up in Progress here for a few days. Aieslynn can’t complain too much as she needs the rest. Plus between the chalice and some papers they found in the closed down library in town she, Reggie, Marguerite, and Mr. Thomas are doing a bunch of research.

Heck we even found out after we finally checked the wallet Reggie pulled off the dead guy in the cave that he was Henry Johnson – the previous owner of the chalice. Looking through some back issues of the paper they found out he was supposedly killed in 1873 and stabbed in his home by Mr. Rufus McKnight who took his stash and hide the chalice.

Don’t know what happened to Mr. McKnight though or why Mr. Johnson’s body was all zombied in the cave. I’m sure they’ll figure it out.

I’m gonna see if Mr. Thomas will come to Freedom with us to meet Mr. Parker.