Jackrum's Log, Session 3

I actually really didn't like this session, as I was in a dark mood and had just come off a nine hour shift at work. Looking back at it objectively, it was pretty cool. Though I wish I had gotten a chance for some combat. I love roleplaying, probably more than any of my friends, but too much of it at a time and you just get burnt out. We played the 4th session last night though, and it MORE than made up for this one. Hopefully I'll have it logged sometime before Friday.

It’s been more’n a week since I last updated my log. To be honest, I just haven’t had the time. Been so busy, almost overwhelmed actually, and… well, I’ll just go ahead and tell it from the last point I left off. I’m gonna go a lot faster and less “in-depth” than before, cause we ain’t got time to waste these days. Here goes:

When last I wrote, we had just found accidentally caused the creation of a new Oasis, complete with an Alchemical plant girl who calls herself Leer. We were still reelin from the sudden death of Clutch, but we decided to go ahead and get him buried. Leer volunteered to take care of it though, saying that she could ‘recycle’ his remains, keeping them within her island’s roots and revitalizing him into another Elemental Seed. Naturally we were a bit split on this issue. It seemed pretty cold to go and turn our old comrades body into a priceless artifact- even if he was a backstabbin’ horse thief. On the other hand, creatin’ another Oasis in the wasteland would be a major point for the common good. After Leer assured us that it was a dignified method, we agreed, and Clutch was interned beneath the great tree’s roots. Leer informed us that it would be about ten days until the Seed was prepared.
We decided it was time we learned something about this alchemy girl, so we decided to ask some questions. It went something like this:

Us: “So how come we found you in that valley?”

Leer: “Memory Fractured.”

“How were you made, and who made you?”

“Memory Fractured.”

“How come you don’t wear any clothes?”

“Memory Fra- I mean, Leer does not require epidermal coverings.”

Anyway, it was obvious she didn’t really know much herself, but we quickly learned that this Oasis was going to be a pretty huge deal. The forest had spread to cover the whole canyon, which was around 2 or 3 miles wide- plenty of room for a small town. She informed us that the trees had grown fruit that was ready for pickin’- more’n 300 lbs of it. That’s worth about as much as 300 Arms. Back when I was runnin’ the Brass Twister, I was the 2nd richest man in Clearwater, and I never had more’n a 100 Arms in stock at a time. In a single stroke, the three of us had become some of the richest land owners in the whole Fort Wake area. Of course, if we didn’t want that fruit to overripe and decay, we had to get some people out here to start harvestin right away. Our Oasis needed some townsfolk to settle it.
Before we left, though, Leer showed us a nifty feature. She took 15 of the bloodseeds I had acquired- we called em’ Cranberries- and tossed em’ in the water. In minutes, five giant cats made out of briars and vines rose out, following’ our commands. Well, more like Leer’s commands, but she listen’d to us right, so same difference really. She called em’ Guardians, and we called em’ Briarcats. We left 3 to guard the Oasis and 2 to see us safely back to Clearwater.

By bizarre coincidence, we met a young man on the way back. He was tied to a horse’s saddle and was bein’ dragged around the wasteland. Obviously the work of varmints and scoundrels.
After Sandy lassoed the horse, I was surprised to see my young nephew Luck, the son of my brother who lives in Bakerton in the East. My brother had written to me about two years back ‘bout how young Luck had run off with his inheritance, and how he’d like to disown the fool boy. Lookin’ at em now, I’d guess the inheritance was long gone. Lost in a card game the way he tol’ it, along with all his possessions. Well, family is family and he was in no condition to brave the wasteland, so I loaned him a small arm and suggested he follow along with us to Clearwater. He were quite surprised to see our Briarcats, and all the way back I had to tell him the story of how we’d created our own Oasis.

By the time we got there, though, we quickly learned things had changed. After Luck got some rest and some water in em’, he told us a tale of how Clearwater had become an armed camp full of mercenaries and ruffians from Little Raindrop, hired on by the Water Baron to prepare for a fight with Mr. Canton. Virginia seethed and raged about how Mr. Cassidy were abandoning her brother Gust- still held hostage by Mr. Canton. I tried to calm her down, tellin’ her there were no cause for hysterics-

“Oh, Mr. Cassidy also changed the economic basis of the town.” Luck said. “It’s an agricultural export now, they forcibly made all the townsfolk trade in they’re Arms for pepper and spices.” “Pepper?!” I asked.

“Yep, good old black pepper. Huh, wasn’t yer son in charge of a Gun Shop uncle? I guess he’s probably rich in pepper now.” Luck said.

“Pepper!?” I cried. This was inexcusable. This was a travesty. My boy Jesse’s whole inheritance was in that shop! Mr. Janos Cassidy wasn’t gonna get away with this!

After me and Virginia calmed down, we decided to go in and try and reason with the man. Luck warned us our Arms would be taken at the border, so Sandy reminded us of an ol’ abandoned shed nearby where we could hide our things. We left em there and headed for the town, carryin’ only our personal weapons. Leer’s cats we left at the shed as well.

Janos agreed to meet with his daughter, and I forced my way in as well. The conversation did not go well. Janos admitted as much that he’d already written off Gust- his own son- as a loss and didn’t particularly care what happened to him. He was gonna keep his Oasis, and he was more’n less invitin’ Canton to come and try and take it. But in the process, he had ruined the town’s economy, and stolen away hundred’s of peoples wealth for himself. I told em’ he was no better than Canton. I had nothing much else to say to the man, so I asked him what happened to Jesse.

“Who? Oh, your son. Right, that little criminal. He was caught distributing contraband after the ban on gun sales. He’s been locked up in the tanty. Your welcome to pay his bale- the price is set at 100 Arms.” I longed to wipe that smug grin off his fat froggy face with a right hook, but I managed to restrain myself.
I couldn’t help Jesse if I were locked up with em’.

Back in the town, I came up with a plan.

“Look, all you have to do is glance around and you can see the folk here ain’t happy with this.” I said. Around us, folk were rushin from house to house, keeping they’re heads down, avoiding the swaggering hired scum waltzin around like they owned the place. Little freakin’ Raindrop, ain’t nothing’ good ever come out that place.

“So, here’s the idea. We don’t want to start no shootin’ here, so how about’s we just let people know there’s a new option? We get as many people as we can to leave town, take all they’re possessions and head for Leer’s canyon. We’ll start a new town there, a fair town with reasonable laws, and in the process Cassidy loses his work force. Without honest folk to steal from, he’ll not be able to pay his mercenaries, and the whole deal falls apart. Then folk can head back to Clearwater if they want… but we’ll still have the town up and runnin. It solves all our problems in a drop of a hat.” I smiled, pretty pleased with my idea.

“Yeah, except one.” Sandra said. “Jesse.”

“Oh don’t worry. I ain’t leavin’ without Jesse.”

Virginia and Luck headed back to the hidin’ spot to take our Arms- that bastard Janos number one slug Clint had informed us that all our Arms would be confiscated if we still had them within the hour. We spoke first to my good friend Cameron Smoke, owner of the Desert Eagle saloon. He told us all the dreary tales of the Baron’s latest outrages- and wholeheartedly agreed to our plan to start a new town. He pulled up some loose floorboards in his back room, revealin’ his Arms and a single Depleted Uranium Shell.

“How’s this do for my first month’s rent?” He asked with a grin. He agreed to get together those he thought we could trust and get them to move out to Leer’s canyon. We suggested they move quickly, as the Baron would surely stop them if he knew about it in advance. He assured us he’d get em’ movin’ by tomorrow morning.

Next came Jesse. I do have to admit, it was a sad sad sight to see my son in jailhouse stripes. He were surprised to see me in good shape- a bit too surprised. Seems like he thought I’d get myself into trouble out in the wasteland. Is a little confidence from my son too much to ask?
While the sheriff flirted with Sandy, I told Jesse I were planning’ to break him out tomorrow night, after the townsfolk had left. I ain’t never been one to scoff at the Law, but when the law stops protectin’ folk and starts trampling on em-

“Oh, hey a visitor! This your daddy?” I realized that Jesse had a cell-mate. To my dismay, I realized he were the same bearded man from the train- the one who’d refused to give back my shotgun.

“You, uh… planning’ an escape?” He whispered loudly. “I can help ya’ get out. I’m good with my fists.” I didn’t see no way around it. If I were bustin’ out Jesse, there wasn’t much of a way to not free this fella too.

“What’s your name sir?” I asked.

“Russell Tam. Oh, I’m sorry about that shotgun. I’d give it back, but I broke it over the deputy’s head when I ran out of ammo.” I’m sure we were gonna get along fine…

Later on, after the townsfolk had left and Virginia and Luck had come back, we set about breakin’ out Jesse. Turn’s out Sandy’s house used to belong to the sheriff, and had an old underground cellar that leads right up to the inside of Jesse’s cell. Huh. That sure is convenient.
Anyway, Sandy managed to convince the sheriff to meet her for a late night date (which she had NO intention of showing up for) meanin’ we only had the one deputy to worry about. Now, Sandy’s a right smart girl and has quite a way with words, so she came to the door and tol’ the deputy a story ‘bout one of the Little Raindrop fella’s tryin’ to sell her some Arms. Unfortunately, this deputy was surprisingly smart and saw through the trick. She quickly knocked him out while I broke through the cell wall with a pickaxe. We broke out the cell and found the armory- fully stocked with all the Arms taken from the townsfolk. Jesse picked the lock, while I took a brief detour into the kitchen. I returned as Jesse was loadin’ up ALL the stolen guns and ammo. Feelin’ very generous at the time, I decided to leave Baron Cassidy a little somethin’ in exchange.
I placed a single pepper shaker in the empty gun locker and locked it up for em’.

We escaped from the town with an old boat my Jesse got fixed up, and arrived at the Oasis just as Cameron was leadin’ the townsfolk in. They’d got lucky- no plague attacks- and were quite astonished to see they’re new home. Since then, it’s been an absolute whirlwind of activity, with us settin’ up a town, buldin’ houses, assigning public figures and all the things needed for a new town. A newspaper man came out of Canton to record it all- followed shortly by Mr. Canton himself. He wanted to buy Leer from us, and was quite rude, but we turned him down of course. We’re gonna go right on getting more and more seeds until we can fill the entire Fort Wake area with green Oasis’, and everything is going to change. I can feel it. Of course, Leer needs corpses to make more seeds… that’s gonna be hard to explain to the people. But honestly, where’s the harm in it? It’s not like we’re gonna be killin’ folk. We’re just gonna make the island into our cemetery. It’s dignified, and for the good of everyone.
We’re gonna make the world a better place, I swear. I just wish the island smelled a little more fresh. I would’ve thought the process would break down Clutch’s body… but I swear I can still smell it down there. Anyway, bringin all that up is too much of a trouble at this point in time, so we’re just gonna keep quiet about the whole thing until it’s necessary to talk about it.
Leer didn’t seem to like Canton much though. She seemed worried actually. Like she recognized him, and didn’t much care for em’. I tried to ask her what was up.

“Memory Fractured.”

-Jackrum Twister.