Express Train to Hell

The Adventure

The City O Gloom provides the setting for the first half of the adventure as the posse investigate the murder scene and follow leads on the people involved in the killings and robbery. They will no doubt have a rough idea of what's going on and will be lead to the Sacred Gate Cult's farmhouse where they'll learn the whole grisly truth of Kent's plan. All that will remain then is to catch the runaway train and save the passengers!

Chapter 1 - The Murder Scene

The posse check out the site of the killings, meet some of the local law and get an insight into what happened and who's responsible for the deaths.

After the posse have decided to investigate the murders/robbery, or have been approached by a Wasatch agent or lawman they'll probably want to go and visit the scene of the killings. Not a problem, Deputy Herman Adams, a stern looking bearded Mormon, will escort the posse to the scene a couple of mile west of town.

The Crime Scene

The first things the posse will notice are the dead bodies lying around the place. A horse drawn wagon lies off the train, it's horses having dragged the wagon into some trees. Two of the four horses are dead. Behind the wagon on the trail is a motionless steamwagon. It's boiler is still burning and bodies lie around it.

The posse can talk to Deputy Adams, or Wasatch Agent Anderson, (who turned up earlier to make his own investigations) and both will be as helpful as possible, although distrust each other. The Agent can relate the following story: Workers at Hellstromme manor discovered the bodies at around 10:45 this morning after they figured the wagons had been delayed, one went and alerted Hellstromme Industries and the Sheriff in town while the others took the Automaton parts back to the manor. Nothing else at the scene was touched.

After passing a Guts (5) check and Searching the area the posse can come up with the following:

Not going bust on Search test: There are nine bodies altogether, all have bee shot dead. 2 Wasatch hired guns lie dead on top of the steamwagon, one was driving, one riding shotgun. A body lies about 10 yards behind the steamwagon, it looks like he was wounded and tried to crawl off, later dying from his wounds. Body number 4 is a Wasatch Agent, inside the steamwagon's armoured hull. Three more bodies of hired guns lie around the horse drawn wagon and the last is the wagon driver, dead in his seat. The ninth body lies off the track behind a felled tree. He doesn't wear anything identifying him as a Wasatch employee.
Search (5): The people responsible for the carnage fired from a position about ten yards ahead of the wagons down the trail, from behind a fallen tree. Spent rounds scattered over the area back this up and suggest that there was a lot of firing. The posse could reasonably say there were between 3 and 6 attackers.
Search (5) (on bodies): Each Wasatch employee has an Ace from a deck of cards placed on his person, either in his pocket or tucked under a lapelle, they have obviously been placed here after death.
Search (7): Tracks and spent rounds behind the wagons back down the trail suggest another attacker hit the convoy from the rear after it was stopped from the front. There was plenty of pistol fire from this individual and the positions of the bodies suggest he did at least half the killing.
Search (7) (of the steamwagon): There are bullet holes in the rear of the armoured wagon, the Agent dead inside was killed by these bullets. The firer must have hit the wagon from the rear and his bullets penetrated the armoured hull. Anyone passing an appropiate test knows that not even a rifle round can penetrate steel this thick! (Ace used his Knife Through Butter hex to cut through the armour)
Also there an opened box in here full of sawdust and an inventory list pinned to the wall. The Agent Anderson investigating the scene will let the posse look at the list after first giving it the once over. The list describes a few automaton parts, food for the staff at the manor, and personal belongings for Hellstromme. The empty box conatained a "personal belonging". The Automaton parts have been taken away by Wasatch employees since the robbery, but Anderson says they were not tampered with.

The posse can also check out the tracks in the area. A Trackin' (5) check lets the posse know that the attackers met up, searched the wagons, headed off the track to where their horses were tied and then hot-legged it in the direction of the city. A raise on this roll determines there were 4 people who left the scene, but 5 involved in the attack. The extra dead body is one of the gang.

When the posse are through here Deputy Adams names the dead gang member as Boss Wilkie, a "drunk" and a trouble maker originally from Texas. He suggests taking the body back to the city as Sheriff Eli Waters may know more about the man and his connections. Agent Anderson will arrange transportation for the dead Wasatch employees and then reports back to Hellstromme.

The only logical course of action from here is to go back to the city to start an investigation of the perpetrators of this crime. The gang cannot be tracked through the city, but their tracks do head toward the city

Timeline

It must be noted at this stage that, although the posse may not be aware, this is a race against time. To help you out with what the bad guys are up to while the posse are dithering with their investigation here's the order of events as far as timings go. You may not understand some of what is written until you have read the rest of the adventure, so refer back to this list later.

0900hrs Ace Stark and Co. shoot up convoy and steal Hourglass.
0930hrs Stark arrives back in City O Gloom after 5 mile gallop, buys train ticket for noon Denver train.
1000hrs Convoy due at Hellstromme ranch
1015hrs Convoy late so riders dispatched
1045hrs Convoy discovered
1115hrs Sheriff Eli Waters & Hellstromme notified of incident. Wasatch Agent Anderson sent to investigate. reward offered.
1130hrs This is when the posse discover what is going on and become involved
1145hrs Ace meets Zacharia Smithe at station, receives payment and hands over Hourglass and all of them board train
1200hrs Train leaves for Denver. Earliest time posse can reach crime scene (timings for the posse are up to them henceforth)
1700hrs Denver train reaches Hoppers Creek to take on extra passengers and fuel/water. Train is due to leave at 1730 hrs but Ace and gang hijack it with help from Kent and cultists at station. Work on welding and bomb emplacements begins.
1900hrs Earliest time work on Wasacth Rocket Car can be completed and readied to go
2000hrs Denver train leaves Hoppers Creek towards goal in the Rocky Mountains
2130hrs Cultists on Denver train perform rite on sacrifice to prepare her for Hourglass
2200hrs Denver Train reaches goal, ditches excess carriages, sacrifice takes place, train reaches 50mph on downhill, slowly speeding up to 88mph...
2205hrs Train reaches 88mph, Hourglass activates, trainload of passengers sent to Hell!

Of course, if the posse dally too much they will be too late to catch the train, slight "fudging" of these timings is, of course, allowed...

Bounty

Anybody who finds a clue: 1 white chip