Adventures of the What's the Worst that Could Happen Gang: Session 1
This session was the beginning of a Down Darker Trails campaign I’m running for some friends. The scenario was Something From Down There. It went shorter than I planned for due to choices made, but they made up for it in horrible deaths and general violence. The three investigators were:
Doyle Copperfield- Gambler, with his horse with no name
Llewellyn Marquis- Rancher, with his horse Francine
The Kid- Gunfighter, with his horse Buckshot
Some of the dialogue has been watered down, should impressionable children be reading.
The three had just met and were playing cards at the Unspeakable Oath saloon, the finest and only saloon and brothel in Cain’s Holler, Texas. As they were playing their hands, they overheard the Unspeakable Oath’s bartender and proprietor, Jeb Cranston, tearing into one of the other patrons for asking for credit.
“Hell naw ah won’t extend ya any credit!” Roared Jeb. “Ya goldurned miners think ya can just waltz into here and drink yer fill for free?! The damn Owen brothers and their lot owe more than ah could count, and they’ve disappeared off the face of creation. Maybe once they show up an pay up, ah’ll be more inclined to extend credit to the rest of yer foul breed. Ah’m halfway tempted to pay to have ‘em dragged back here!”
(That’s what we call “a hook”)
The Kid, hearing the transaction, approached Jeb to find out more. Upon inquiry, the Kid finds out that the Owens brothers and some other miner friends of theirs came into town for supplies a week and a half ago, drank their fill on credit with a promise to pay this week, but have not showed up. Jeb offered the group $10 each to find out what happened to them, $30 to bring them back, or a night of female company. Jeb knew the Owens’ mine was up in the Eagle Mountains in Sullivan’s Gap, a couple hours ride to the northeast of Cain Holler, but no details beyond that.
The three rode out for Sullivan’s Gap a couple of hours later. The trip across the rough plain was dusty and hot. Upon coming to the Gap, there were plenty of routes to take but none immediately presented itself as a route to the mine. The Kid did some tracking and found a couple of sets of mule tracks and some footprints heading up the Gap. As good a clue as any, the group soldiered on up the Gap.
Riding up through the crags, the investigators finally came up a box canyon containing some tents and a mule stall, with what looked like a mine up above. The camp was suspicious. The mule stalls looked like they had been kicked out, and the tents were all ransacked. They found some valuable goods, such as a halfway decent rifle, some ammo, WHISKEY!, and dynamite. Taking what they thought they’d need, they fixed to go up to the mine when someone yelled a greeting at them from behind.
Whipping around with guns drawn, the group saw three mean. The men had guns and rifles out, but not trained on the investigators. The lead man, a bearded heavy-set guy, placated the group, telling them they meant no harm and asked if they were friends of the Owen brothers as well. When they answered affirmative, the bearded man introduced himself as Rand Boggs, and the two others as Melvin Clegg and Joe Barkley. Rand then told the investigators what had happened:
Rand, Joe, Melvin and his brother Trapper had come to the camp to visit the Owens brothers and their friends. When they got to the camp, they found it abandoned. Going up to the mine, they didn’t get far in before they found the Owens brothers and a couple of their friends. They were upright but wrong; a black pus-like substance bubbled out of their eyes and mouths as they approached Rand and company with definite malice in mind. It wasn’t until they got out that they realized that Trapper was still in the cave, but the black-blooded things that had been their friends were coming out after them.
Having no real choice Rand, Melvin, and Joe ran back down through the camp and out of the canyon until they were sure they weren’t being followed. They’d been hiding for a good few hours before running into the investigators.
When the group said they were still going to check out the mine, Rand suggested they team up for strength in numbers. The group saw no real issue and agreed with him. It was then that Llewellyn remembered that he had seen a wanted sign for Rand and Joe. They each had a $50 bounty on their head for bank robbery. Llewelyn shared this insight with Doyle and
This put a definite curve on the situation, but the investigators thought that now would not be the time to act upon the knowledge. Doyle fast talked Rand and company into leading the way, seeing as they knew the mine better. Rand agreed as long as they followed close behind. The decision made, they trekked up the path leading to the mine.
When they got up to the mine, the investigators noticed the door had been busted off the mine’s opening, the heavy lock still intact on a broken piece of wood. Llewellyn asked Rand if they had done this. Rand said no in the most unconvincing manner. Despite this, the investigators decided to sally forth.
The air in the mine was cold and stale. The group slowly made their way forth into the mine, silent as a tomb. Occasionally the silence would be broken by the creak of the wood rafters as the mountains shifted, sending dust and small rocks falling. They found the main passage and slowly made their way down the dark path.
The uneventfulness of the trek was interrupted by Rand seeing something shiny on the ground in front of them. He goes over to it, then picks up a Colt .45s, laying in the dust. Melvin runs over to him, snatching the gun out of his hand. Looking at it, he say it belongs to his brother Trapper and that he’d never leave it if he could help it. Thus emboldened, the whole crew sped up their journey into the depths.
After a few more minutes, the group’s lanterns shined on a new horror; four bodies laying the dirt, ashen and dead, Trapper being one of them. The group tried to discourage him, but Melvin was having none of it. He rushed over to examine his brother.
As soon as Melvin touched Trapper, the corpse opened its eyes and emitted a groan, black pus-like fluid pouring out of both. The thing grabbed at Melvin’s throat and started to throttle him, just as the other three corpses rose up, vile darkness flowing from their eyes and mouths as well. The group took in the impossible horror before them and attempted to square off with the zombies, then they heard another noise coming from further down the passage.
Shuffling towards them was another figure, black pus running down its face underneath its wide-brim hat, revolver in hand. In a gurgling voice, it said “Welcome, friends. I’m Elvin. Stay, there’s silver for all.” With that, the corpse drew its gun on the group.
Despite the other zombies lurching towards them, they knew the threat a gun was. Doyle leveled his hog and nailed the Elvin-thing in the cheek, erupting it like a black blossom. The vile pus ran out of it and ran back into the thing’s mouth and eyes. “Now, then,” grumbled the Elvin-thing, not stopping for a second, “That was downright unneighborly.” One of the other zombies slashed at Llewelyn, opening a grievous wound in his chest. Joe wasn’t having anymore and ran for the entrance. The Kid aimed his gun at the ceiling of the passageway above Elvin’s head and fired, bringing rocks down on him.
It was then that the group decided that Joe had the right idea. They all ran out of the mine as quickly as their legs could take them. Getting out into the hot Texas air, they turned back towards the mine. From the depths they could hear shuffling coming at them, along with an odd sloshing noise coming closer. Over the sloshing, they heard Melvin’s voice echo through the cave. “Rand?” Melvin called out in an odd gurgle he didn’t have before, “Rand? I’m in a bad way. Can ya come help me?”
With an unspoken “Oh hell no”, Llewellyn, Doyle, and the Kid each pulled out and prepped a stick of dynamite to huck at the mine entrance. Doyle and the Kid’s dynamite went wide of the mouth, bringing rocks tumbling down to the ground around it. Llewellyn, still unfocused from his wound, went to throw his stick but dropped it at his own feet. Everyone saw it and ran before the explosion hit them. Everyone, save Joe who was blown to bits.
As they recovered from the blast, the remaining group saw a darkness ooze forth, filling the passageway of the mine. The group made to run down the ledge towards the camp, but a tentacle of oily darkness shot out, wrapping itself around Llewellyn. The group watched in horror as the tentacle crushed Llewellyn, black pus erupting out of his mouth and eye sockets as he screamed one last time.
Running down the ledge they got the horses. Rand took Francine since Llewelyn didn’t need her anymore, and bolted out of the box canyon, the thing still oozing loudly above them. They quickly made their way out of Sullivan’s Gap.
Once they were sure they were far from the foot of the mountains, they pulled the horses to a halt and looked back at the entrance to the Gap, pondering the horror that they just witnessed.
Rand turned to Doyle and the Kid, spitting. “Ah don’t know what that was, but ah reckon it’ll do me no good to ponder it. Gentlemen, ah believe this is where we part ways.”
Doyle and the Kid, however, were against the idea. First off, Rand was a witness to the whole horror show, and could help them explain to Jeb back at the Unspeakable Oath what had happened. Second, that $50 bounty on Rand’s head looked mighty sweet. Doyle tried to smooth talk Rand into coming back but Rand wasn’t inclined to do so, knowing what awaited him there.
So, of course, it turned to heavy gunfire.
Rand tried to turn the horse and bolt, but Doyle and the Kid filled their hands and fired upon him. Enraged by their attack, Rand turned and returned fire, catching the Kid in the shoulder. Doyle caught Rand in the shoulder and knocked him from Francine, who decided that none of this was worth it and ran off into the Playa.
Rand was hogtied and put onto the back of Buckshot. They rode back to Cain’s Hollow and collected the bounty on Rand. The sheriff had asked what had happened, and they told him the mine had caved in, killing everyone. The sheriff said he’d send some deputies to check the place. The two said that they wouldn’t recommend it due to the place being a hazard zone. The sheriff would have none of it, however. The two left, a little defeated over this consequence they hadn’t considered.
They went to the Unspeakable Oath for drinks and to meet with Jeb, blood still dripping from the Kid’s wound. Jeb heard their story, the same one they told the sheriff. Jeb spat and told them to come back later when the Kid was patched up and not pouring his damn blood over his nice floor.
After the horrible event, the two stayed in Cain’s Holler for awhile. Soon, however, stories started popping up. Stories of how the sheriff’s deputies had never returned, then seen wandering around Sullivan’s Gap, black filth pouring from their eyes and mouths. Guilt started weighing heavy on Doyle and the Kid’s heads with the realization they should’ve stopped this when they could. They decided to pack up and head to San Rafael…