Arrow Rock Murders

We come into town after 2 days of riding and head to the Sheriff's office. It's about 1 in the afternoon. We meet Sheriff Hicks and he is sleeping. Ara kicks him awake. He tells us that we will have to talk to the mayor for info about the murders.

We head to a blacksmith's that is really clean. There is a dark haired man banging away on metal. We meet him and he is the mayor Rodney Ford. He tells us the details of pay and such. Vasquez thinks that they are being pretty lax about the murders and tells them as such, and they seem embarrassed but not likely to do anything.

Jonathan Stone, a local miner employed by the Redstone Mining Company was found on main street. His head was cut off and there were bullet holes in his body. Another body showed up a week later. Another miner by the name of Jim Westley. The following week there was another body of a bodyguard. All 3 worked for the mining company. There was no gunfire heard.

Doc Crawford may know more about the caliber of the bullets and such. He rents a room at the back of the Thirsty Crow Saloon.

We head to the Thirsty Crow and find the doctor, he is passed out but wakes up and helps us reluctantly. He says it was probably a .45 that did the wounds or similar caliber. The heads were cut off with a knife. The bullet wounds were very strange, and he has a drawing. The edges look rotten. No one is sure why that may be.

Gontiel and Vasquez remember that there was a plague in this area that wiped out a bunch of people a while ago.

We head to the Wagon Wheel, the other saloon in town, to rent rooms. It is a gambling den. We get rooms which are pretty basic.

We head to Joe's Trading Post next. He says there was shouting going on during one of the nights near the Mining Company office. It could have been Weiland or his secretary. He also mentions the street preacher. Elijah talks to his son who says that the preacher said that there will be more bodies, and they are the "Capstone to New Jerusalem."

We head to the Mining Company. Mr. Wieland has a gaunt face. He gives us the reports from the security that he's hired. He says that he is actually the man who is the Sheriff and Mayor because the mining company runs the town. He says that he got in a disagreement with a man named Loudmouth Larry right before the murders and that was the ruckus. He seems to want this whole thing to be over so he isn't paying for protection.

We see a man with worker's clothes on and red hair fighting with someone who looks like a Franciscan monk over by the well. The monk is talking about fire and brimstone. We save the monk from the man and he says 10 years ago he was a new age spiritualist in New York. The group came out west to seek religious freedom and founded this town. The leader of the group Kevin Churchill found some Indian rock formations outside of town. He called it a sign. They lived in peace and security and had good relationships with the local Indian tribes. Things were good until a plague appeared and almost completely wiped out the settlement. The mining company came in and bought the land and the preacher is the last one in town. He thinks it was taken unlawfully and turned into a Sodom and Gomorrah instead of a shining city on a hill, a new Jerusalem. He says that the murders are the divine wrath of Churchill, who has come back from the dead to do this. The last person to die will be Wieland.

We do a stakeout for the evening to see if we can catch the murderer before anything happens. Around 2am we see a bright light and hear a crack in the direction of the mines. A man rides into town and says that the main mine shaft has been collapsed. We ride out there and help all of the miners out. We are remarkably successful in organizing and getting them out. Junior has the loa ride him to be more persuasive and Jared does healing. It is in the morning when we get back.

When returning to town, we see that another person has been killed. It is the miner who accosted the preacher killed in the same way. Junior assesses and feels black magic. Vasquez thinks that this is black plague type stuff.

We are approached by Mr. Wieland who says that he thinks he will be the next victim, and that we should be his bodyguards. All of his guards quit. We agree and go out to his very fine home. Five spectral horses and riders appear and accuse him of being a murderer. They say that he poisoned their water supply so he could buy the town.

The posse asks if they will leave if they take this man. They say "sure" but we aren't happy that the answer is truthful. We decide to fight them. Jared casts protection on Ara. Junior has Baron Samedi ride him who is the the master of the gateway between worlds. He tries to drive them out. Gontiel, Ara and Elijah unload with their guns against them. When we get hit with a gun, the disease seems to penetrate into us.

When dawn breaks, we are victorious. Elijah puts a gun to the man's chin and tells him that he has to confess to the whole town. He begrudgingly agrees and does so, then the Rangers take him to Santa Fe for trial.