"Jonah Hex - 2 Gun Mojo!"

The Adventure

Chapter 5 - Cowboys and Indians

The posse catch up with Doc Cross in the middle of a battle between Confedearte soldiers and hostile Apaches

The posse are hot on the tail of Doc Cross, either in rapid pursuit or shadowing him from a distance. The Doc and his wagon of Zombies heads off the main trade routes and into the desert, toward the Texas/New Mexico border. He stears clear of any settlements or habitation and roughs it through the barren wastelands. If you are running this adventure during a pretty dry or hot part of the year (in game terms) then if the posse are unprepared for a desert crossing then they may be in a spot of bother. Don't forget to make them roll Survival and Vigor chacks to see if they can find water/food/shelter if they have none of their own. Horses will likewise suffer if they are pushed too hard and not watered properly. Horse Ridin' and Animal Handlin' tests may also have to be passed, but don't be too hard on the posse, just let them know they are in an inhospitable area.

Apaches!

After a while the Doc's wagon (if in sight) will be seen to make a sudden surge forwards as he pushes his horses to their limit, gunfire can be heard coming from a rocky area up ahead and on a Cognition (9) check the posse can see figures in the rocks shooting at the Docs wagon, it looks like he's going to escape the ambush however. The Doc has been attacked by hostile Apaches in the area. This bunch are a particularly warlike tribe and love nothing more than to torture and kill white men who stumble on to their land. The Doc makes a run for it and about a mile later comes across a company of Confederate soldiers dug in to a position and surrounded by hundreds of Apaches on the warpath. If the posse follows Doc Cross (which they'll just about have to!) then they see the Soldiers in a defensive circle in some low rocks. The Doc's wagon is also there, it's bright colours visible from nearly a mile away. Any posse member straying this close however will be attacked by Apaches and herded toward the soldiers. The posse's only chance of escape is to bunk up with the grey coats and sit tight!

The Grey coats

Out of the 100 infantrymen caught in this battle only 24 remain. The Captain and his 3 Lieutenants are dead, as is the company Sergeant Major and two of the platoon Sergeants. The highest ranking soldier here is Sergeant Franklin so he is in charge. They are in a bad way, the Apaches slaughtered the lead platoon before the other two platoons could help out and they themselves had to dig in and lost half their number this morning. The Apaches number over one hundred and have rifles, they've been launching raids all morning to find the weak spots in the Confederate defence and to keep the men from resting too much. If the Apaches launch another assault it may be the last.

When the posse arrive after Doc Cross the Sergeant will want to talk to them straight away. He explains the situation and asks what weapons the posse are carrying. He's a deperate man and badly needs the help of the posse and Doc cross. The posse should be clear that this is not the time to settle matters with the alchemist as every man is important to the survival of all present. If Jonah Hex is still alive and with the posse then he realises the awkwardness of the situation. If the posse get too excited and try anything with the Doc then have the Apaches attack at that instant, this should take the hero's mind off doing anything foolish just yet.

Talking to the Doc

The posse should get a chance to talk with the good doctor while they are here. He may not know who Hex and the posse are so is willing to talk to them, even revealing a bit about who he is and where he is headed. Let the heroes roll their Persuassion aginst a TN of 5. For every success and raise on the highest roll they learn one of the following bits of info

The Doc is an Alchemist and used to teach at Massachusetts State University until he was "wrongly" thrown out for "misapplication of scientific knowledge"
He is working on a new formulae to replace his "Sweet Brown Tonic" which will show the boffins at Massachisetts who the real genius is. Oh yes, he'll show them all right...
He is heading to an Indian burial ground on the TX/NM border where he will complete his "studies"

If the posse have previously come to blows with Doc Cross or bring up the subject of the Price gang then the Doc will be less willing to talk. He warns them that if they try anything he'll have "Bill" sort them out. Cue introductions to the Doc's glassy eyed Wild Bill look-a-like. He has an arrow or two stuck in his legs and guts from the Apache attack but seems unconcerned by this fact. Any heroes who get this close to one of Doc Cross' zombies will realise they are dumber than a pile of horse manure, and looking a bit yellow around the gills. There is definately something up with them. On an Academia:Occult (5) roll or a Scrutinse (7) roll at this proximity the posse will work out that the Doc's entourage are Zombies - artificially animated corpses. There is still no sign of the missing Price gang (they are tied to the roof inside Doc Cross' wagon, he needs the dead flesh for his Zombie Juice). At some point the Doc may even have to top one of his Zombies up with his depleting supply of Juice, any heroes getting a look at this will no doubt make the connection between the Zombie Juice and the superhuman capabilities of the Doc's performers.

Attack!

Everything is quiet for the rest of the day, Apache campfires can be seen in all directions amongst the rocks surrounding the Confederate dug in position and morale is low. All the soldiers here know they are outnumbered in hostile territory and that today may be their last stand. Sergeant Franklin does his best to reassure his men and talks to the posse, discretely asking for any advise or suggestions they may have.

Just as the sun sets the Apaches make their move, sending in 50 men from the East and 50 from the West. Some are on horseback, some have rifles, some have spears. Most of them have a Guardian Spirit associated with the War Medicine Way and have a few favours at their disposal. This makes them extremely tough in hand to hand fighting, if they get to the dug in postion in any large number they will defeat the soldiers, Doc Cross and the posse in a savage battle (unless your posse are particularly tough). If the posse don't make a run for it in the confusion then Doc Cross cetainly will. He orders Bill and Half Pint to guard the wagon while Ramona and Strecth take up positions to begin hauling the wagon in place of the Doc's horses (if the Doc never pushed his horses to their death then he has them do it now instead, pouring some of the last drops of Zombie Juice down their throats to boost their speed and stamina, killing the mounts in a few hours)

In the heat of the battle and with the cover of night and gunsmoke the posse will only spot the Doc's escape on a Cognition (9) check. If they were especially keeping an eye on the Doc then lower this to a 5. If things do go badly for the posse in the battle then Jonah Hex and the Seargeant will suggest making a run for it as troopers begin falling all around them to Apache spears, bullets and arrows. The exhausted Confederates aren't going down without a fight however, and they can hold off the indians just long enough for the posse to make their getaway. Sergeant Franklin is shot in the back by an Apache sniper as he rides off.

APACHE WARRIORS               CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS

Quickness               3d8   Quickness        4d6
Strength                4d8   Strength         4d6
Vigor                   4d8   Vigor            3d8
Shootin':Rifle          3d6   Shootin':Rifle   4d8
Bowskill                4d6   Fightin':Bayonet 4d6
Fightin':Spear/Tomahawk 4d8   Leadership       2d6
Dodge                   3d8   Guts             3d8
Faith:Nature Spirits    4d6   
                              Gear: Martini-Henry rifle,
Guardian Spirit:         1    Bayonet, 3d6 bullets, canteen

Favours: (choose two) 
Horned Owls Fury
Spirit Warrior
Strength of the Bear
Turtles Shell

Gear: Muzzle loading rifle,
Ammo, Spear, knife

Where to?

If the posse make a run for it they might want to know where they are going, the soldiers won't last forever against the superior numbers and aggression of the Apaches and soon the Indians will be looking for survivors. If the posse saw Doc Cross leave they can follow him, even in the dark the wagon leaves clear prints in the desert and can be followed on a Trackin'(5) check. Alternatively the Doc may have let slip his destination in an earlier conversation with the posse, in which case the posse will have no trouble finding the Doc where he said he would be. If the posse start heading the wrong way have some Apaches ride at them, forcing them to double back unless they want another fight on their hands. The posse should catch up with the Doc later that night at the accursed burial ground.

If the posse came up with a great plan to defeat the Indians and the Soldiers won then when the smoke clears the Doc is missing, his wagon tracks head off West toward the Indian burial ground. Following the tracks is easy, requiring only a Trackin' (3) roll after the battle. Sergeant Franklin thanks the posse for their help and gives the posse $100 in Confederate script as a reward but cannot provide them with any additional help pursuing the cowardly Doc Cross

Bounty
Learning the Doc's destination: 1 white chip each
Learning the true nature of the Doc's Zombies 1 white chip
Defeating the Apache attack: 1 red chip each
Escaping the Apache attack: 1 white chip each