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The bomb bursts on Coal's head, igniting it like a gruesome torch! He lets out a long, terrible, feline shriek of agony, then falls limp, Daisy falling from his clawed, backward hand....
Coal shrieks as Excalibur cleaves a long red wound in his torso below where Levinson's celestial constrictor has him wrapped up in its vice-like coils! Blood gushes in rhythmic pulses now from the rakshasa's latest wound....
The celestial constrictor, summoned from some extra-planar Garden of Eden, wraps the rakshasa in its powerful coils and squeezes a gasp out of him with the audible cracking of vertebrae! (Chiropractic adjustment and grapple after DR is factored....)
Coal turns and deflects Koran's blow with his force shield, grunting at the violent impact and sliding back a few inches from the force of the tiefling's strike....
The rakshasa pants fearfully and staggers back 5 ft.... That.... That.... That sword.... He fires another two shots at Derrik....
Die!! Die, damn you!!
Derrik sees Koran's blow fell Mister Leng, and instead advances to strike at Coal, a 5-ft step bringing him within reach.... The first stroke is deflected by Withers' shield spell.... The second slices a deep gash in the rakshasa's snarling face! He roars in pain!
The bomb bursts on Withers' chest, momentarily engulfing the rakshasa in flames! He roars in pain and rage!
Coal draws Daisy from the holster at his side and aims at Derrik, pulling the trigger....
Second attack plus human bane damage....
Grimm hurls his dagger at Withers, but it is stopped by magical forces armoring the rakshasa.... (FF AC still 27 with Mage armor and shield)
Rising from his seat with a deep growl, the rakshasa casts shield (AC 33 with Mage armor and shield!)....
Reflex save vs DC 14 fireball
Coal Withers seems suddenly shaken by the inquisitors strong words and fearless demeanor, not to mention the glowing longsword and battle axe in the newcomer's gauntleted hands.... Reflex save to avoid igniting........succeeds....
Coal Withers casts Mage armor on himself....
Will save vs DC 17 hypnotic pattern Withers grins when Mister Leng's enchanting light show begins....
You would be more comfortable without that heavy weapon hanging at your side, don't you think? Withers casts suggestion on Yingzen, DC 16 to resist.... I suggest you remove your weapon belt and tuck it under your chair.... You won't be needing it here....
Initiative
My goddess has led me to many great fortunes in the past.... She is generous to those who serve her well, you see.... And I have always served her very well.... Many are the sacrifices I have made in her divine name.... I have spilt an ocean of blood to appease her.... And in return, I am favored with a most rewarding life.... My luck at cards is the least sign of my goddess' favor.... I have also been blessed with revelations of great prosperity, for Shub-Niggurath is a goddess of fecundity and genesis.... A fertility goddess, Mother of a Thousand Young.... She blesses the crops of her faithful....and blights the crop of the heretic.... As Withers speaks, a metamorphosis gradually takes place.... His pale, gaunt, human face begins to change into the bestial visage of a white Bengal tiger, with long, white whiskers and black on white stripes.... His hands seem to rotate outward to an unnatural degree, until it seems that they are attached backwards.... When he speaks again, his voice is deeper, darker, and more bestial.... I hope you truly appreciate the....great honor....that comes with being sacrificed to Shub-Niggurath.... It is a very rare honor, indeed.... To ensure the richness of the season's crops with ones blood is a noble and beautiful thing, my friends.... And while I must confess that I have no skill as a farmer.... I do intend to harvest the fruits of my devotion in a way more meaningful and appropriate to my nature....
You might say it was faith that brought me here, Mister Yingzen.... Faith in the destiny promised to me by my goddess.... Shub-Niggurath.... The Black Goat of the Woods With a Thousand Young.... She has been leading me here to find a great source of wealth and power.... She has promised to enrich her humble servant, and so I have followed where she led me....to this place.... Tombstone.... Such a morbid name for a town, don't you think? Withers tokes the hookah and blows rings of smoke through the air.... And you have come to see what has become of this little town since the....change in management, so to speak?.... I'm curious.... Are you lone survivors, seeking a place to make a new start? Or were you sent by a larger group of some kind?
Poker check Coal lays down a royal flush with a wicked grin. Well, how about that! I do tend to be lucky at cards....
Coal Withers regards the sleeping brave and the eager lamia with a droll smile. I dare say you'd drive the poor boy mad, Kitty.... Leave him be for now.... You'll have your share of fun later, my pet, I promise you.... He shuffles the deck again, and then passes it across the table to Levinson. Of course, you may deal, my dear.... Please, be my guest....
I know many games, my dear.... Poker in its many variations is a favorite.... As for wagers.... I only play for high stakes.... Why bother with small wagers? Withers picks up the cards and shuffles the deck. He addresses the five fathers playing for the lives of their children: Go on home now, gents.... We'll pick this up again tomorrow night.... For now, we have new guests to entertain! Withers smiles a predatory smile.... I propose a wager, on a friendly game of chance. If you win, I'll be happy to provide you with a tour of my quaint little town of Tombstone, answer any questions you might have about myself, my entourage, or my new town....and I'll even let you carry off some silver.... The Mesa on which this town stands is riddled with silver ore, you know.... Withers grins at Levinson and Yingzen, a predatory baring of his strong, white teeth.... But if I win.... You'll stay here in Tombstone until the end of the month, as my personal guests....and enjoy my....hospitality.... Agreed?
Yes, most fortuitous. I am most pleased to make your acquaintances, Doctor Levinson and Mister Yingzen.... Are you gamblers, by chance? I'm a great lover of games of chance.... The vagaries of random chance are what make life so interesting, to me.... Would you not agree? Withers takes another pull on the hookah and blows elaborate smoke rings....
Oh, why not, Mister Leng? I believe Reba and Kitty will make short work of our uninvited guests.... Then we shall see what they drag in for breakfast, yes?
I do declare.... They are making a racket out there.... Maybe you ought to see what's happening, ladies.... And I use the term very loosely in this case, Reba and Kitty....
Well. Let us see what comes a-traipsing through the door, shall we? Perhaps it will stave off the ennui a bit longer to toy with whatever it may be.... The rakshasa stretches and crosses his legs, then takes another puff of opium off the hookah on the table, before expelling the cloud to float languidly around the room....
Initiative Well, then. What have we here? Four riders on mules?.... Likely more damned Indians.... Funny how these stupid little monkeys thought they'd found a route to India when they found this land, and erroneously dubbed these native monkeys "Indians".... Even hundreds of years after they should've known better, those little pale monkeys kept calling these little red monkeys "Indians".... So deliciously stupid, humans....
Now, then. Do try to control your baser instincts, ladies.... These fine gentlemen are family men.... Good, devout, honest men, unaccustomed to your lewd and lascivious misbehavior.... They don't need to be hearing about your insatiable appetites for flesh, and for your perverted, pre-feast games....
Coal Withers regards Reba from under the wide brim of his hat, a sneer tilting his mouth. Extraordinary. Your lust knows no bounds, does it, my dear? Coal puffs a hookah on the table and blows the smoke into the face of a father who is weeping because he just lost all three of his children to Coal Withers in an attempt to win freedom for himself and his family. Withers addresses the weeping father: Go on, sir.... Don't get the cards wet, please.... Go on home, sir.... Spend a last few hours with your children.... Tell them you love them, but that you lost them in a fair game of chance to Coal Withers, who is going to sacrifice them to Shub-Niggurath for the greater good of all.... The man weakly staggers to his feet, sobbing, and shuffles out of the saloon....
The New Boss came to Tombstone at dusk on the 2nd of April. He rode up in a black coach with bloodstone and mother-of-pearl inlaid panels and elaborate gilding, drawn by a pair of animated horse skeletons named Sticks and Stones. With him rode two scarecrows, propped up seemingly by magic upon skeleton horses, also propped up by necromancy.... These the New Boss called Haystack and Corncob. They never spoke, they only silently obeyed the New Boss' every command.... There was also a mysterious stranger with The New Boss.... Mr Leng, from the far distant land of Leng.... The poor survivors of Tombstone thought him to be a Chinaman, perhaps.... He kept his features hidden behind a silk scarf and head wrappings, and wore long, exotic, silken robes with bewitching embroidery.... Mr Leng rode upon a fierce, black steed, its eyes burning like coals, and tongues of flame licking from its nostrils and around its hooves, burning the earth wherever they trod.... Two females rode into town in the coach with the New Boss.... His "ladies", he called them, though they were far from that.... One was a tall, sultry, scarlet-haired woman with tiny demonic horns on her forehead, scarlet bat-like wings tattooed with the most wanton and lusty of scenes, barbed tail pierced with gold rings, and the name Reba. The other was a centauric monster with the upper body of a full-breasted, blue-eyed blond woman, and the lower body of a lion, named Sonja.... The New Boss himself was tall, handsome, and insane. Coal Withers emerged from the gilded coach like a lord accompanied by his ladies--Reba and Sonja--and took in the little town of Tombstone with a long, scrutinizing look. The dogs barked loudly at their approach, but scurried off with whimpers when the skeletal steeds trotted into town, and yammered in abject panic at the scent and sight of Mr Leng's infernal steed.... The wary survivors inside The Oriental Saloon were awed and frankly terrified by Coal Withers and his ghastly entourage, and when he declared himself their New Boss, they could not help but comply with their whole fear-stricken hearts.... Salutations, dear citizens of Tombstone! I, Coal Withers, am your New Boss! I shall endeavor to make your lives tolerable given the unfortunate circumstances we find our poor world subjected to.... And in return, you shall obey my every command to the best of your abilities, do you understand? Initial protestations are met with swift and inglorious death at the roar of Daisy, Withers' shiny Colt .45 revolver, and the remaining band of survivors surrender completely....
Mmmmm.... Look at you.... You're a beauty, to be sure.... I can't believe you've been lying in the dark for over a century.... All that wasted time, Daisy.... But we'll make up for it, won't we, baby?.... Coal Withers gazes lovingly at Daisy. He pours gun oil onto a worn white cloth and polishes her barrel meticulously.... There's more than a little bit of Doc's soul in there, isn't there, baby?.... That's why you're so powerful....so lethal.... He draws her revolving cylinder out, examining her chambers.... Now that your mine, Daisy.... Men and monsters shall quake before us, baby.... Why, even old Cthulhu himself might just have to kiss our ass someday.... He closes the cylinder, kisses the barrel, and begins a series of elaborate, beautiful spins of the gun on his fingers, holstering and unholstering Daisy, and letting her spin and dance across his hands.... But you want something, too.... I can feel your will, baby.... It's a terrible thing....festering inside you, eating away at you the way the TB ate away at Doc.... You want me to go to Tombstone.... But why?.... What's there?.... Is it my fortune?....the fortune promised to me by The Dark Goat of the Woods With a Thousand Young?.... |
