000701 -- Cray Canyon Cold Snap -- part I ========================================= AUTHOR: dsweet COMPOSED: 7/16/00 UPDATED: 7/19/00 STORY: Due to a field trip to Camelot our adventure has a halting start. By 8pm on some wintery night our will-be-heroes have all entered a moving train car headed for California via a twisting rail line through the Rocky Mountains. Everyone is full from either a large steak dinner in Brown Creek Colorado or a hearty feast in Camelot. When the last of the adventurers arrive everyone is quite tired since it is about morning in fantasy England. Dispite this, the adventurers try to figure out their mission. Strangly Dolares was not in the ether between worlds this time. The adventurers find a piece of luggage for each member of their group. Everyone goes through the luggag; some more neatly then others. Everyone is hoping to find a period costume which fits. Luckily everyone does. From the appearance of the clothing it is obvious the adventurers have found themselves in the Old West. Chris's character goes to the rear of the train to investigate while the rest go forward. It is discovered the train has 29 cars: 2 porter cars 1 drawing room 1 smoker car 4 pullman cars 1 baggage car 2 Zulu cars 7 freight cars 1 caboose The adventurers have only hearsay to support the existance of the porter cars, the caboose. The porter cars are for employees and since the chester working at the bar in the smoker won't let them pass into the upscale drawing room car they don't get to see porter cars at all. All they know of the drawing room car is that it appears lavish from the doorway. The smoker is a car for the passengers of the drawing room cars and pullmans to relax, get a little something to eat or drink, and perhaps play some cards. The pullmans are the classic rail cars of which the adventurers inhabit a sleeper in the third one. Passengers can travel through the baggage car but the baggage is stored in lock rooms off from the hallway. Since the freight cars are locked the adventurers have to stop in the Zulu's which have some hundred or so emmigrants crammed in them. Eventually the adventurers find themselves in the smoker enjoying the atmosphere enlivened by Paris Moses and his wife Deborah leading the singing of hymns. Jake joins a poker game held by a professional gambler named Hadrian Cook. He only has enough period currency to play one hand. He manages to beat Cook in the first hand but loses out to another player. Strangley, he accepts this loss easily. Perhaps the ambulance chaser has changed his ways. Meanwhile, Jay waits to speak to Paris. When the next hymn is finished Jay gets to speak to Mr. and Mrs. Moses. Jay discovers that Paris is both a Preacher and Lawman. Paris is travelling to Sutter California to become both the community's sheepherder of the holy and seculer. Joe the Butch travels through the room trying to sell peanuts, soda water, and porn. After over an hour of networking everyone retires to their staterooms. Gun shots, screaming, and the sounds of running feet walks our will-be-heroes from the disturbing dreams. The adventurers run towards the noise side stepping the many emmigrants fleeing the first Zulu car. The people in the lead draw their blasters and Black uses his substancial bulk to block the view from behind. In the light of 21st century torches the adventurers witness a horrific sight. A man with apparent gun shot wounds and with bloody hands, face and chest stands over a women whose chest seems to have been ripped open. The man has a rifle in his hands. Another man lays face down with a gun shot wound from a bullet passing through his chest and exiting from his back. Without delay the lead adventurer blasts the blood covered man. Two blaster shots hits him and he crumbles with a maniacle grin on his face. The conducter tries to make order from the chaos. He asks everyone to go back to their staterooms and has the bodies taken to pullman car number four. The occupants of pullman number four are moved forward. Meanwhile, the adventurers mill about.