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"Revenge, Renewal and the Promise of a New Year" (Boot Hill/D&D)
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<blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 1736088" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><em>Sorry to hear that Tallarn. The winner of the "name the campaign" contest was Baradthegnome, with "Revenge, Renewal and the Promise of a New Year". I kept the prior one now so that people would still be able to find the thread but will change it when posting the next chapter. Now on to the second chapter:</em></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Chapter Two, “The Talkative Halfling”, January 1st, 1882, 2:30 P.M. </strong> </p><p></p><p>The halfling looked around the stagecoach at his traveling companions. The first half-hour of the ride had been quiet, the only conversation being when the two human females exchanged a few words with each other. The little man’s curiosity about who these people was getting the better of him so he decided to get people talking. He exclaimed in his high-pitched thick Australian accent “Hello everybody, my name is Chumbley, Hezekiah B. Chumbley to be precise. So, what brings you to Promise City?” </p><p></p><p>The man in black gives the halfling a stern look and replies in a low deep voice “This stagecoach”. The halfling laughs at that and says, “No, I mean, why are you going there? Who wants to start?” The woman in the red dress says, “My name is Ruby West. I’m going there to find work. I hear that there are a number of saloons and dancehalls where I could sing and dance at.” The woman in the black dress speaks next, introducing herself as Katherine Kale. She briefly explains about her husband’s recent passing and how she is going to Promise City for a fresh start. “Okay, who wants to go next?” the little man exclaims. </p><p></p><p>A long pause follows. The hunched over person who was the last one to enter the stage speaks up. Several of the passengers are surprised to hear a female voice come from who they perceived to be a cowboy. She says that her name is Alison Caine but to just call her Al. When the halfling presses her for more details she replies, “I’m going to visit some kin of mine in the town.”</p><p></p><p>He asks the man in black, “And what is your story?” The man just gives him a dirty look in reply, his face growing dour as the halfling continues to talk. The remaining human is then asked who he is. The man replies with a Scottish accent “My name be Duncan MacRaibert. I be originally from Scotland and am a Celtic priest”. </p><p></p><p>“And you my green-hued friend?” the halfling asks the good-sized bald oriental half-orc. He replies in a Chinese accent, “I am Chow Wei Hung. I come from a monetary in China. I am exploring the American west and in keeping with my faith help those in need.” “Very Honorable,” the little humanoid states. He next asks the Indian, who replies, “I am Nanuet. I have business with a man said to be in Promise City.” </p><p></p><p>The halfling then blurts out “What an interesting group. I’ll bet you all want to know about me!” Silence follows. The man in black then mutters, “I hope you don’t gamble much.” Chumbley ignores the comment and excitedly states, “Well, I currently reside in Tombstone, but I’ll be making frequent visits to Promise City. I’m a reporter for the Tombstone Epitaph.” “Cheery title,” The man in black states. </p><p></p><p>Chumbley responds, “Indeed, and a fine paper it is. Far better than the unscrupulous rag they currently sell in Promise City. That’s the purpose of my trip, to sell Volume 1 of the Promise City Edition of the Tombstone Epitaph. And a true value for your money it is. For the same price as the Promise City Herald, only a nickel, you can now get eight pages rather than four. And unlike them our news reporting is honest. That other paper is biased and prints distorted accounts of the news. If you want to find out what’s really happening mine is the paper to buy.”</p><p></p><p>Ruby asks, “What has been happening in Promise City.” The halfling replies, “Lots of stuff. But you’ll have to wait until we get there to buy a copy of the paper. I’ve got them all right here in my trunk.” The man in black says, “Let me see one of those.” Chumbley replies, “No can do. Have to wait until we get there before you can buy one.” The man replies, “I didn’t say anything about buying one.” </p><p></p><p>Chumbley then exclaims, “Well, you’re all traveling to a very exciting place. Promise City is located dab smack in the middle of the Sulfur Spring Valley, situated between the Dos Cabezas, Dragoon and Chiricahua Mountain ranges. With the runoff from the mountains the valley has the most fertile grasslands in the whole Arizona Territory and supports a number of cattle ranches. The community itself started up only a few years ago when silver was discovered at the Breakheart Mine. Since then three other mines were discovered in the hills right around the same area and the town grew up in the small flat area between them. The town is a lively place with lots of saloons and businesses for the miners to spend their money at.”</p><p></p><p>The Indian Nanuet asks, “What’s the story with that group known as Arcade’s Gang? Isn’t that town where they hang out?” Chumbley replies, “Oh, those guys. They showed up and caused some trouble in the town last spring. It was during the summer when they really made a name for themselves. That was when Billy the Kid and the James Gang came to town. The outlaws robbed a bank the homes of several of the town’s wealthiest citizens. Arcade’s Gang then cornered Billy and several of his accomplices in the home of the gambler Conrad Booth. The now famous ‘Promise City Shootout’ took place then. Billy and his buddies got themselves killed while the James boys managed to escape with all of the loot. After that Arcade’s Gang was famous and went around acting like they owned the town. </p><p></p><p>A few months later they were bored and headed over to Tombstone to cause trouble there. A hornet’s nest of trouble had already been brewing there. Tension already existed between the cowboys at the Clanton ranch and the town’s Marshall Virgil Earp with his brothers, so Arcade’s Gang decided to make matters worse. First they tried to start up a gunfight with the Clantons and Earps at the O.K. Corral, but Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan intervened and calmed things down. The next day Arcade’s Gang shot down in cold blood Tombstone citizen Doc Holliday and his friend Johnny Behind-the-Duce. They then high-tailed it back to Promise City before the Earps could catch them.” </p><p></p><p>“So they’re there now?” Duncan asks. Chumbley says, “Oh no, they were afraid of retribution from Earps so they packed up and skipped town. They were last spotted six weeks ago in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I doubt we’ll ever see them back this way again, especially since Wyatt Earp has become the new Marshall of Promise City with his brother Morgan as his Deputy. Anyhow, that Gang is how we found out that the Promise City Herald was corrupt. The paper seems to have had an alliance with them and would only print stories that favored the group. No reputable newspaper would ever do anything like that!” Several people snicker at hearing that comment. </p><p></p><p>Chumbley continues, “So my employer saw this as a great new business opportunity! He sent me there for the past couple of weeks to find stories to report on. I now have me 200 copies of the paper to sell. This will be great for the citizens of Promise City, to be able to finally get accurate and unbiased reporting of the daily events that concern them. And all for just five-cents, a real bargain for a full eight pages of news. You’ll have to all buy a copy, lots of great stories to read.”</p><p></p><p>The man in black shifts the toothpick in his mouth and says, “Did you hear the story about the halfling who got killed for talking too much?” Chumbley answers “I don’t believe I have.” The man responds, “Yep, happened during a stagecoach ride.” Duncan comments, “Oh? Had a wee falling out?” The man in black replies to the Scotsman “I like the way you think.” </p><p></p><p>Chumbley still doesn’t catch on and replies, “No, I can’t say I’ve heard about that. I probably should have since there are very few halflings in the Territory. If there had been an accident on a stagecoach I think that…” He then stops in mid-sentence, the implied threat finally sinking in, as a shocked expression crosses his face. The interior of the stage becomes deathly quiet. </p><p></p><p>The man in black then stares again at the halfling and repeats his previous request of “Let me see one of those papers.” The now nervous halfling quickly unlatches his case and thrusts a copy over to him. The man in black takes the paper from the halfling’s shaking hand. He then doesn’t even bother look at the text on the page, instead rubbing the corner of the sheets between his index finger and thumb. He comments, “Nice paper. Soft to the touch. You should sell a lot of these.” He folds up the paper and puts it down on the seat beside him. </p><p></p><p>The remaining two hours of the stagecoach ride continue without anybody speaking at all. The only sounds come from the stage, the horses and the centaur running alongside it. The trail circumnavigates around a mountain range and passes by a large cattle ranch with sign “Lazy S Ranch” at the outer gate. They soon reach a fork in the road with a sign with an arrow pointing northwest that reads “Dos Cabezas 6 Miles” and another arrow pointing southeast that reads “Promise City 14 Miles” and below that “Galeyville 26 Miles”. The stage turns southeast and towards another range of mountains. They cross a wooden bridge over a creek and then turn south, with the town now visible in the distance.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 1736088, member: 8530"] [I]Sorry to hear that Tallarn. The winner of the "name the campaign" contest was Baradthegnome, with "Revenge, Renewal and the Promise of a New Year". I kept the prior one now so that people would still be able to find the thread but will change it when posting the next chapter. Now on to the second chapter:[/I] [B]Chapter Two, “The Talkative Halfling”, January 1st, 1882, 2:30 P.M. [/B] The halfling looked around the stagecoach at his traveling companions. The first half-hour of the ride had been quiet, the only conversation being when the two human females exchanged a few words with each other. The little man’s curiosity about who these people was getting the better of him so he decided to get people talking. He exclaimed in his high-pitched thick Australian accent “Hello everybody, my name is Chumbley, Hezekiah B. Chumbley to be precise. So, what brings you to Promise City?” The man in black gives the halfling a stern look and replies in a low deep voice “This stagecoach”. The halfling laughs at that and says, “No, I mean, why are you going there? Who wants to start?” The woman in the red dress says, “My name is Ruby West. I’m going there to find work. I hear that there are a number of saloons and dancehalls where I could sing and dance at.” The woman in the black dress speaks next, introducing herself as Katherine Kale. She briefly explains about her husband’s recent passing and how she is going to Promise City for a fresh start. “Okay, who wants to go next?” the little man exclaims. A long pause follows. The hunched over person who was the last one to enter the stage speaks up. Several of the passengers are surprised to hear a female voice come from who they perceived to be a cowboy. She says that her name is Alison Caine but to just call her Al. When the halfling presses her for more details she replies, “I’m going to visit some kin of mine in the town.” He asks the man in black, “And what is your story?” The man just gives him a dirty look in reply, his face growing dour as the halfling continues to talk. The remaining human is then asked who he is. The man replies with a Scottish accent “My name be Duncan MacRaibert. I be originally from Scotland and am a Celtic priest”. “And you my green-hued friend?” the halfling asks the good-sized bald oriental half-orc. He replies in a Chinese accent, “I am Chow Wei Hung. I come from a monetary in China. I am exploring the American west and in keeping with my faith help those in need.” “Very Honorable,” the little humanoid states. He next asks the Indian, who replies, “I am Nanuet. I have business with a man said to be in Promise City.” The halfling then blurts out “What an interesting group. I’ll bet you all want to know about me!” Silence follows. The man in black then mutters, “I hope you don’t gamble much.” Chumbley ignores the comment and excitedly states, “Well, I currently reside in Tombstone, but I’ll be making frequent visits to Promise City. I’m a reporter for the Tombstone Epitaph.” “Cheery title,” The man in black states. Chumbley responds, “Indeed, and a fine paper it is. Far better than the unscrupulous rag they currently sell in Promise City. That’s the purpose of my trip, to sell Volume 1 of the Promise City Edition of the Tombstone Epitaph. And a true value for your money it is. For the same price as the Promise City Herald, only a nickel, you can now get eight pages rather than four. And unlike them our news reporting is honest. That other paper is biased and prints distorted accounts of the news. If you want to find out what’s really happening mine is the paper to buy.” Ruby asks, “What has been happening in Promise City.” The halfling replies, “Lots of stuff. But you’ll have to wait until we get there to buy a copy of the paper. I’ve got them all right here in my trunk.” The man in black says, “Let me see one of those.” Chumbley replies, “No can do. Have to wait until we get there before you can buy one.” The man replies, “I didn’t say anything about buying one.” Chumbley then exclaims, “Well, you’re all traveling to a very exciting place. Promise City is located dab smack in the middle of the Sulfur Spring Valley, situated between the Dos Cabezas, Dragoon and Chiricahua Mountain ranges. With the runoff from the mountains the valley has the most fertile grasslands in the whole Arizona Territory and supports a number of cattle ranches. The community itself started up only a few years ago when silver was discovered at the Breakheart Mine. Since then three other mines were discovered in the hills right around the same area and the town grew up in the small flat area between them. The town is a lively place with lots of saloons and businesses for the miners to spend their money at.” The Indian Nanuet asks, “What’s the story with that group known as Arcade’s Gang? Isn’t that town where they hang out?” Chumbley replies, “Oh, those guys. They showed up and caused some trouble in the town last spring. It was during the summer when they really made a name for themselves. That was when Billy the Kid and the James Gang came to town. The outlaws robbed a bank the homes of several of the town’s wealthiest citizens. Arcade’s Gang then cornered Billy and several of his accomplices in the home of the gambler Conrad Booth. The now famous ‘Promise City Shootout’ took place then. Billy and his buddies got themselves killed while the James boys managed to escape with all of the loot. After that Arcade’s Gang was famous and went around acting like they owned the town. A few months later they were bored and headed over to Tombstone to cause trouble there. A hornet’s nest of trouble had already been brewing there. Tension already existed between the cowboys at the Clanton ranch and the town’s Marshall Virgil Earp with his brothers, so Arcade’s Gang decided to make matters worse. First they tried to start up a gunfight with the Clantons and Earps at the O.K. Corral, but Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan intervened and calmed things down. The next day Arcade’s Gang shot down in cold blood Tombstone citizen Doc Holliday and his friend Johnny Behind-the-Duce. They then high-tailed it back to Promise City before the Earps could catch them.” “So they’re there now?” Duncan asks. Chumbley says, “Oh no, they were afraid of retribution from Earps so they packed up and skipped town. They were last spotted six weeks ago in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I doubt we’ll ever see them back this way again, especially since Wyatt Earp has become the new Marshall of Promise City with his brother Morgan as his Deputy. Anyhow, that Gang is how we found out that the Promise City Herald was corrupt. The paper seems to have had an alliance with them and would only print stories that favored the group. No reputable newspaper would ever do anything like that!” Several people snicker at hearing that comment. Chumbley continues, “So my employer saw this as a great new business opportunity! He sent me there for the past couple of weeks to find stories to report on. I now have me 200 copies of the paper to sell. This will be great for the citizens of Promise City, to be able to finally get accurate and unbiased reporting of the daily events that concern them. And all for just five-cents, a real bargain for a full eight pages of news. You’ll have to all buy a copy, lots of great stories to read.” The man in black shifts the toothpick in his mouth and says, “Did you hear the story about the halfling who got killed for talking too much?” Chumbley answers “I don’t believe I have.” The man responds, “Yep, happened during a stagecoach ride.” Duncan comments, “Oh? Had a wee falling out?” The man in black replies to the Scotsman “I like the way you think.” Chumbley still doesn’t catch on and replies, “No, I can’t say I’ve heard about that. I probably should have since there are very few halflings in the Territory. If there had been an accident on a stagecoach I think that…” He then stops in mid-sentence, the implied threat finally sinking in, as a shocked expression crosses his face. The interior of the stage becomes deathly quiet. The man in black then stares again at the halfling and repeats his previous request of “Let me see one of those papers.” The now nervous halfling quickly unlatches his case and thrusts a copy over to him. The man in black takes the paper from the halfling’s shaking hand. He then doesn’t even bother look at the text on the page, instead rubbing the corner of the sheets between his index finger and thumb. He comments, “Nice paper. Soft to the touch. You should sell a lot of these.” He folds up the paper and puts it down on the seat beside him. The remaining two hours of the stagecoach ride continue without anybody speaking at all. The only sounds come from the stage, the horses and the centaur running alongside it. The trail circumnavigates around a mountain range and passes by a large cattle ranch with sign “Lazy S Ranch” at the outer gate. They soon reach a fork in the road with a sign with an arrow pointing northwest that reads “Dos Cabezas 6 Miles” and another arrow pointing southeast that reads “Promise City 14 Miles” and below that “Galeyville 26 Miles”. The stage turns southeast and towards another range of mountains. They cross a wooden bridge over a creek and then turn south, with the town now visible in the distance. [/QUOTE]
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