Session 5 — Mystery 3, Part 1

What Happened

Cold Open: The Stagecoach

A young boy hugs his knees as he hides under a seat in a stagecoach.

His parents plead for mercy — "You'll get no resistance from us. Take what you want."

His mother and father are shot dead. The stagecoach takes off, speeding into the night, the boy still inside.

This incident is later relayed to the team from the perspective of Earl, the driver.

Back at the Hot Springs — Bart's Exit

The mystery is resolved. The gang is at the hot springs, now newly cleared of the algae. Bart finds them there.

Alfie is the most charming member of the group, so he takes the lead trying to convince Bart to drive them back to Hole. However, Cuthbert whispers advice in Alfie's ear mid-persuasion, which only makes Bart suspicious.

SEAN, when asked how he tries to persuade Bart: Well, as I rolled a six, I probably offered him a song.

Bart storms off. The gang opts to stay put and let him cool down — it is a thirty-minute walk from the creek to his farm, and it is midnight.

The Springs at Midnight

The gang decides to soak in the hot springs under the stars and the full moon. Ms March seeks out the furthest pool from the others.

MS MARCH: Sorry, I can't hear you over the bubbles!

CUTHBERT, calling over: IT'S VERY PRETTY HERE. VERY RELAXING.

CUTHBERT: What, you don't talk to relax?

Alfie is sad. Doctor Webb looks pensive rather than sad. Cuthbert eventually gives in.

CUTHBERT: Alright, fine. I'll relax quietly.

Cuthbert's Revelation

Cuthbert asks whether anyone wants him to explain the past century of history. He has time-travelled from one hundred years ago and does not currently know what he has been sent here to do. He used to teach history. The Order looks forward in time in order to ensure events are stable.

ALFIE, after Cuthbert's insane revelation: Did we get rid of all the spores?

MS MARCH, to Cuthbert: Have you heard of something called Main Character Syndrome?

ALFIE: Cuthbert, do you know anything… about me?

The Order is tight-lipped about the why of their missions.

Alfie's Confession

Doctor Webb posits that Hole could be the centre of a dartboard of mysterious events: the worms were in Hole itself, the Durgins were North of Hole, and Bart's farm is to the South. They will need more data to prove a pattern.

Alfie thinks it is time for him to leave Hole. He aims to travel West again.

CUTHBERT, to Alfie: Are the supernatural things happening because of you?

MS MARCH, suggesting an alternate explanation for the worms: Dan Randy is a nice man but he doesn't run the tidiest establishment.

ALFIE: I've been running most of my life to escape something — I don't know what it is — since my father died and my house burnt down.

Alfie always flees further West when weird things happen as a result of his voice. He fears that whatever is following him is becoming more powerful. The gang are the first people he has met who are curious about mysterious happenings rather than fearing them.

DOCTOR WEBB: You can't run forever.
MS MARCH: You can but you shouldn't have to.

MS MARCH, to the group: Does all of this not make you angry? How are you not fuming? Because I sure am.

Ms March believes life is unfair and that there is no way to prepare for the scenarios they are facing. She wonders what — or who — is causing the phenomena they have encountered. When something is unbalanced, usually there is someone to blame.

Doctor Webb points out that what they have experienced so far — wolves, worms, algae — are all seemingly natural. Nothing yet indicates an individual behind it. They need more data.

The team emerges from the springs, relaxed but confused, and dries off around 3 AM.

CUTHBERT: I'm getting all pruny.

Back to Hole

The gang walks back to the Fletchley Farm and successfully sneaks Bart's wagon away without waking him — despite Alfie prematurely breaking into a tune for the road. The others shush him in time. Ms March drives.

It takes at least an hour to drive back to Hole. It is early dawn when the team pulls up outside the Randy Saloon.

The Sheriff Has Company

Sheriff Coot O'Dougal is pacing outside the saloon. He has been waiting a while — looking for Ms March. A prisoner has asked to speak with her. The sheriff cannot remember if he learned the gentleman's name.

MS MARCH: Sheriff, you're awake. Great to see it.

Ms March smells Dan Randy's coffee from the street. She raps on the window. Dan serves a round of coffee to go in canteens.

O'Dougal is sufficiently absentminded that he forgets why the team is following him as they walk to the sheriff's tent.

Meet Earl

The sheriff's tent is a pavilion structure with a canvas — it will eventually be made into a permanent building. The gang, wired from caffeine after a sleepless night, enters the dimmed tent.

A man sits inside a medium-sized animal crate. He is handcuffed.

EARL: Junebug. I'm mighty glad you're here.
KATE: Ms March, this is your ex-husband, Earl.
MS MARCH: You son of a bitch.

ALFIE, waving cheerily: Hey! Hi Earl!

Earl brought Alfie and Ms March to Hole. Ms March remarks that this is the only good thing he has ever done.

CUTHBERT, as Ms March cocks her gun: Hey hey, we don't shoot fish in a barrel.

The sheriff will not release Earl — he is under the sheriff's jurisdiction. Earl was found in possession of coins stolen from the next town over.

MS MARCH: The only thing worse than a criminal is a careless criminal.

There is a flash of fear under Earl's swagger.

EARL: Sheriff, can you cover your ears?
SHERIFF O'DOUGAL: Uh, yes. I can. Technically. Is that the question?

Ms March tells Coot O'Dougal that Bart's stolen cart was seen outside the Randy Saloon — could he perhaps go return it to Bart? The sheriff is not comfortable leaving the gang alone with the prisoner.

CUTHBERT, to the sheriff, re Ms March: She's got more guns than you.

Alfie promises to shout loudly if there's trouble. He leaves the tent with the sheriff, who crosses the street to sit on the hotel rocking chair and falls immediately asleep. Alfie goes back inside.

ALFIE, to Ms March: Just try not to punch him this time.

Ms March will not make that promise.

MS MARCH: Cuthbert, nothing came through [from the Order] to cut off his balls?

Cuthbert checks his fobwatch. No new message. (Earl currently only has one testicle.)

What Earl Knows

Earl needed money, so he took a job driving a stagecoach out of Goodspring, a town to the West. He was employed by a wealthy couple travelling with their son. He was running his mouth, and the Hatchett gang overheard he would be driving with valuables.

Ms March draws her acid-stained knife — the blade corroded in the algae fight; the acid remains effective — and flings it at Earl's face. It splashes on his cheek, doing Harm.

NAT: Come on, dice. Do not fuck me on this.

Ms March succeeds. Earl had previously warned Ms March to avoid the Hatchetts.

The Hatchett gang pulled the stagecoach over. Earl told the couple's son to hide under the bench. The Hatchetts took money and finery from the couple, then killed them. Earl drove off with the boy and what remained of the money. Some of the treasures are now with the sheriff as evidence. Some of it is with the boy.

Only Earl knows where the boy is hidden. His priority is the boy's safety — both he and the boy are witnesses to the robbery and murder. The Hatchetts will arrive in Hole at noon.

MS MARCH: What would make you feel safe, Earl?
EARL: If all of the Hatchetts were dead.

Ms March needs some information from the Hatchetts first.

The Hatchett Gang

The Hatchett gang has four core members:

• Jed — eldest brother and leader
• Cord — younger brother
• Crystal — Cord's wife
• Maxine ("Max") — youngest sibling; a tough, boyish teen (~18) who has run with her brothers for some time and hasn't socialised much outside the gang

The size of outlaw gangs fluctuates, so the Hatchetts may have brought hired muscle.

Doctor Webb's predecessor in Hole was Doctor Curt Hatchett — the gang's uncle. Doctor Webb suspects Curt did favours for the gang. Curt drank himself to death, which is what created the vacancy that brought Doctor Webb to Hole. Doctor Webb never met him, but by all accounts Curt lacked the bedside manner and discipline that Doctor Webb has.

EARL: I am perfectly, perfectly in control of my drinking.
KATE: You see his hand shaking.

Earl is a better shooter after drinking.

Getting Earl Out

Ms March successfully gaslights Coot O'Dougal into believing it is his own theory that Earl has not committed a crime — he was bringing in evidence helpfully. Earl should therefore be released. Alfie supports the lie.

Coot is overwhelmed doing his sheriff work alone. He takes an excruciatingly long time working through his enormous key ring. The gang have several sidebars and discussions while he fumbles.

MS MARCH, to Cuthbert: I'm not saying I believe you can see the future because I don't.

Cuthbert goes outside to consult some broken matchsticks.

MS MARCH: Goddammit, I always forget this man might be lying.

Cuthbert is very successful. He has +3 forward to use for the remainder of this case when looking into the future.

CUTHBERT: I do know something helpful, but I can't tell you what it is.

Ms March consults Doctor Webb about knocking someone out medically. He suggests drink or a pistol grip to the head. Ms March warns him she doesn't want a repeat of an earlier incident. Doctor Webb refuses to promise he would withhold treatment from injured Hatchetts, but accepts he would prioritise healing people on their own side during a fight.

MS MARCH: Alfie, how many idiots do you know in town who can shoot well?

Alfie knows a drunk named Puddle.

Cuthbert notes that gunfights happen at high noon. He also foresees that the Hatchett gang will arrive via the West road — the first thing they would encounter is the sheriff's tent. Ambush possibilities. Cuthbert now has +2 remaining for future foresight this case.

MS MARCH: Have you tried using the keys upside down?

Earl offers to unlock himself. The sheriff hands over his keys. Earl unlocks the handcuffs and then the crate. He is a tallish man with a swagger — a hat, handsome ruggedness, long hair, the calloused fingers of a musician. He takes back the evidence money from the dozing sheriff for use as bribes and rewards.

MS MARCH: Have you tried using the keys upside down?

Around Town

PJ. Ms March finds PJ, a four-year-old boy playing in the street with a stick and a hoop. He should be in school.

PJ, seeing Ms March: Uh oh.

Ms March tells him school is cancelled today and pays him a quarter to visit every house with a kid and pass the word — and to tell their parents that anyone with a grudge against the Hatchett gang should come to the Randy Saloon. She promises not to tell his parents he was skipping, and to mark him as having perfect attendance.

PJ: Forever?
MS MARCH: For the rest of the year. So almost forever.

PJ's dog is named Pluto.

The Schoolhouse. Ms March goes to the schoolhouse and puts up a sign declaring it closed — with an illustration for the illiterate. Some children have already been left outside by their parents. She dismisses them and sends them home.

Inkwell's Butt. Doctor Webb takes the lead at the Assay Office, telling Inkwell he is there to schedule the long-overdue examination. Inkwell is busy — the company is set to open a new shaft. But the rash is getting worse; he cannot sit down.

KATE: We'll cut back to the butt scene.

They go around the back of the building. Doctor Webb finds a scabbing, pus-filled rash. Inkwell admits he has recently taken up with a lady who likes him not to wear undergarments. The rash started shortly after.

Doctor Webb uses his magic balm — mixed success. He provides Inkwell with instant relief and cures the rash, but immediately catches it himself and starts itching. (Inkwell tells him there's a sample of dynamite kept in the barn by the blacksmiths — Doctor Webb is welcome to take some, on the understanding he'll be discreet. Inkwell bunks off work to see his paramour.)

The Honeypot. Alfie knows that working girls hire rooms on the second floor of Randy's Saloon. Dan Randy is both sex-positive and slightly oblivious to what business is done in those rooms. Belinda Barnberry is the madame, aged thirty-two. The other working girls are in their mid-twenties; Ellie Mae is a younger, savvy one who occasionally flirts with Alfie when it is clear this is welcomed.

The gang considers using the youngest Hatchett sibling — Max, who hasn't socialised outside the gang — as a target for a honeypot scheme. Alfie and Cuthbert head to the saloon with Earl to talk to Belinda. Ms March and Doctor Webb will fetch the dynamite from the barn by the blacksmiths.

Cliffhanger — The Hatchetts Arrive Early

When Alfie, Cuthbert, and Earl arrive at the Randy Saloon, there are raised voices from inside. A tall woman with broad shoulders and curly hair is leaning on the bar looking threatening. She is accompanied by a smaller man with light blonde hair. She is demanding whisky.

Dan Randy protests that he doesn't serve alcohol in the morning.

Alfie does not recognise the pair. Earl does — they are members of the Hatchett gang. They have arrived early.

NAT: It's not noon. You can't trust them, you motherfuckers.

The Mystery

Clues Found

• Earl drove the stagecoach; the couple's son is hidden somewhere, location known only to Earl
• The Hatchett gang has four core members; may have additional hired muscle
• Their uncle, Doctor Curt Hatchett, was Doctor Webb's predecessor — may have done favours for the gang
• Cuthbert foresaw: they will arrive from the West road
• The gang arrived early — two members spotted at the Randy Saloon before noon

Outcome

Unresolved — session ended on a cliffhanger.

Key Characters Met

Loose Threads

• Where is the boy from the stagecoach? Only Earl knows.
• The Hatchett gang has arrived early — two members are already at the Randy Saloon. What happens next?
• Does the Hatchett gang know Ms March has a problem with them?
• Are the Durgins chummy with the Hatchett gang?
• Cuthbert foresees something helpful but won't say what it is; +2 foresight forward remaining for this case
• Alfie's voice magic — who is the monotone voice? What is the nature of this power?
• Who is the name in Doctor Webb's little black book that both he and Ms March wish was still alive?
• Ms March's brother August — how did Augie die? What were "the bad times"?
• Doctor Webb and Ms March's vial samples of the red algae — what do they find when analysed?
• Why does Alfie want to know about exorcisms?
• What is happening with the Order's instructions about Richie Durgin?
• Luke Durgin's rash
• Doctor Webb still owes Inkwell Girtle a butt exam — resolved this session
• What happened to Hamish Durgin's other eight sons?

Moves & Highlights

• Alfie — tried to persuade Bart (rolled 6; probably offered him a song); warned the sheriff that "we will need every man and woman and child who can operate a weapon"; supported the Earl gaslight; nearly sang when stealing the wagon; revealed he has been running his whole life since his father died and his house burned down; gave the gang Puddle as a potential recruit; directed Cuthbert and Earl to Belinda at the saloon; saw the Mongolian Death Worms emerge from the piano (flashback)
• Cuthbert — whispered to Alfie and made Bart suspicious; consulted broken matchsticks; used precognition for +3 forward (now +2 remaining); revealed he is a time traveller from one hundred years ago and used to teach history; foresees the Hatchetts arriving from the West; knows something helpful but will not say what; did not introduce himself to Earl
• Doctor Webb — posited Hole as the centre of a pattern of mysterious events; used magic balm on Inkwell's butt rash — cured Inkwell but immediately caught the rash himself; identified Doctor Curt Hatchett as his predecessor
• Ms March — drove the wagon; got coffee from Dan Randy; confronted Earl (ex-husband, "you son of a bitch"); threw acid from her corroded knife at Earl's face (Harm); her knife is now destroyed; gaslighted the sheriff into releasing Earl; quietly consulted each team member in turn; dismissed school; set PJ to work as a messenger; asked Doctor Webb about knockout medicine; asked Alfie about shooters in town; directed the honeypot plan

XP & Advances

• XP gained:
• Advances taken:

Notes

Memorable quotes:

EARL: Junebug. I'm mighty glad you're here.

MS MARCH: You son of a bitch.

ALFIE, waving cheerily: Hey! Hi Earl!

CUTHBERT: Hey hey, we don't shoot fish in a barrel.

MS MARCH: The only thing worse than a criminal is a careless criminal.

EARL: Sheriff, can you cover your ears?
SHERIFF O'DOUGAL: Uh, yes. I can. Technically. Is that the question?

CUTHBERT, to the sheriff, re Ms March: She's got more guns than you.

ALFIE: Just try not to punch him this time.

MS MARCH: Cuthbert, nothing came through to cut off his balls?

MS MARCH, on Cuthbert's matchstick divination: Goddammit, I always forget this man might be lying.

CUTHBERT: I do know something helpful, but I can't tell you what it is.

EARL: I am perfectly, perfectly in control of my drinking.
(his hand is shaking)

PJ, seeing Ms March: Uh oh.

PJ: Forever?
MS MARCH: For the rest of the year. So almost forever.

MS MARCH, to Cuthbert: I'm not saying I believe you can see the future because I don't.

MS MARCH: Sorry, I can't hear you over the bubbles!

CUTHBERT, calling over to Ms March: IT'S VERY PRETTY HERE. VERY RELAXING.

ALFIE: I've been running most of my life to escape something — I don't know what it is — since my father died and my house burnt down.

DOCTOR WEBB: You can't run forever.
MS MARCH: You can but you shouldn't have to.

MS MARCH: Does all of this not make you angry? How are you not fuming? Because I sure am.

CUTHBERT: I'm getting all pruny.

SEAN, on persuading Bart: Well, as I rolled a six, I probably offered him a song.

MS MARCH: Have you tried using the keys upside down?

MS MARCH: Alfie, how many idiots do you know in town who can shoot well?

NAT: It's not noon. You can't trust them, you motherfuckers.

ALFIE, asking about exorcisms in Session 4: [Ms March made a note to ask him about this]

Other notes:

• Cuthbert used to teach history; he has time-travelled from one hundred years ago and does not know his full mission; the Order looks forward in time to ensure events are stable
• Earl brought Alfie and Ms March to Hole — Ms March notes this is the only good thing he has done; she told him to stay away from Hole and stay away from her
• Earl currently has only one testicle
• Ms March's knife (already corroded by algae sap in Session 4) was used to throw acid at Earl's face — it is now destroyed; Ms March has no blade
• Earl took the evidence money from the sleeping sheriff for use in bribes and rewards
• Ms March has previously stolen and replaced some of the keys on O'Dougal's key ring
• Alfie's Mongolian Death Worms flashback: worms emerged from the piano in the Randy Saloon while Alfie was playing; all four party members remember this incident; Alfie believes it was his fault
• The Mongolian Death Worms appear to be a prior incident — not a current mystery — but undocumented until now; see Monsters/Mongolian Death Worms
• Doctor Webb caught Inkwell's butt rash from the magic balm