™

ghost town
Credits
Author: Samuel L. Nastari
Editors: Steve Johansson, Susan L. Nastari, Frank B. Armstrong
Proofreaders: Frank Sanor, Miriam Sanor
Lead Playtester: Tom Tuckerman

table of contents
INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL The Brothel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Adventure Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Encounter with ‘Devil’ Dan’s Gang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Fear Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Sherriff’s Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Town map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 The Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Illumination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 The Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Dan’s Gang Returns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Rumors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 The Carpenter Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
NAMED ENCOUNTER AREAS The Gallows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
The Cemetary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 The Well . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
The Stagecoach Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 The Lost Tomb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
The General Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
War Chief Statue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 CONCLUSIONS
The Saloon and Gambling Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Summary of Rewards & Consequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

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© Copyright 2011 Kenzer & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
 ADVENTURE PREFACE
On a lonely trail somewhere in the “Welcome to H. . .”, the last word obscured
Shattered Frontier, your group of brave trav- by many bullet holes.
elers has lost its way on a cloudy, overcast As you pondered what this word may have
night. The sun set hours ago but the full been and if it bore any significance to the
moon overhead provides sufficient illumina- eerie circumstances you found yourselves
tion to make out your surroundings. immersed in, a sudden break in the fog
You decided to persevere onwards to your allowed the moonlight to shine through the
destination rather than making camp perforated marker. Shockingly, the bullet
because roaming bands of Apache have been holes completed the phrase, for it now clear-
waylaying unwary travelers. Rumors have it ly stated, “Welcome to HELL”.
that they are drawn from miles away to Being the tough hombres you are, you
campfires so to avoid detection it seemed weren’t about to be frightened by an uncan-
prudent to push on. What you did not bar- ny trick of the light. Girding yourself for pos-
gain on was becoming disoriented in an area sible trouble ahead, you approach the myste-
of the country with which you were familiar. rious town that has enigmatically appeared
What happened next might have been from nowhere.
penned by Edgar Allen Poe had you not wit- The first thing that comes into sight is a
nessed it first hand. The eerie glow of the graveyard surrounded by a wrought iron
blue seemed to illuminate a fog rolling in fence…
over the plains before you. Amazingly, shad-
ows of buildings started to become visible g Players may choose to run away in fear at any
where there was bare scrubland previously. time by simply moving their PC until he goes
Holding back a deep dread, and ignoring beyond the edge of the map. Doing this terminates
the hairs standing up on the backs of your the game session for this player. Should he try to
necks, you tramped ahead through the fog. later return, he will simply wander through an
Shortly thereafter you encountered a weath- empty clearing covered by dense fog. See
er beaten sign on the trail that read Conclusions for the consequences of taking this
action.

2
 Ghost Town was written especially for the
Halloween season and involves the charac-
ters stumbling upon and exploring a haunted
town. In order to give your players a realistic FEAR CHART
in-game scare, certain supernatural ele- Fear Level Effect
ments are utilized in this scenario. Purists 0-10 Normal Cautiousness
may take umbrage at the inclusion of these
11-20 Jitters: no ill effect
“fantasy” elements in Aces & Eights but it
was necessary to do so in order to recreate 21-30 Uneasy: (+1 to speed)
the horror elements required for a good 31-40 Scared: (-1 to hit) (+1 to speed)
spooky tale. 41-50 Cold Sweat: (-1 to hit) (+2 to speed)
Essential to gameplay is a mechanic unique 51-60 Dread: (-2 to hit) (+3 to speed)
to this scenario called “Fear Level”. This 61-70 Panic: (-3 to hit) (+4 to speed)
represents how each individual is slowly bro- 71-80 Deranged: (-4 to hit) (+5 to speed)
ken down emotionally by the accumulation of 81-90 Horror: (-5 to hit) (+6 to speed)
frightening and unexplainable events he wit- 91+ Terror: Drop all items and run
nesses. Each player begins with no accumu-
lated fear. However, as they begin to experi-
ence hauntings, each one will slowly put g Adjustment to Die rolls
them increasingly ill at ease. As the PCs A PC’s Wisdom ability will modify each die
become more scared, this will manifest itself rolled. Wise individuals can better manage their
physiologically. fear while foolish ones quickly succumb.
Whenever the text instructs you to make a
fear check, roll 2d4p and apply the result to Wisdom Score Modifier
each character’s fear level. See the Fear
18+ -3
Chart to the right for further details.
16-17 -2
Succumbing to Fear 13-15 -1
9-12 0
If any character reaches Terror as his Fear
6-8 +1
Level, he will immediately discard any hand
held items and run from the haunted town 4-5 +2
until he collapses from exhaustion. If not 3 +3
tracked and recovered by his associates, he
g Other Talents or Quirks that may affect Fear
will awake in the care of a group of Arapaho
Indians. These travellers found the stricken Those with the Courage Talent receive a -2
character dehydrated and delusional and modifier on all fear rolls. This is cumulative with
believed him to be possessed by evil spirits. adjustments from Wisdom. If a PC has the
Their remedial medical care permitted the Yellow Belly quirk, +4 is added to each roll –
PC to get both some much-needed rest and again cumulative.
fluids. g Adjustments below Zero
These Indians only possess novice mastery
No individual fear roll can be adjusted below 0
of English and thus cannot offer much assis- regardless of the bonuses a character may pos-
tance filling in the gaps in the character’s sess.
memory. What they will do, however, is leave
some water and guide the individual to his

3
horse (or point him in the right direction to NAMED ENCOUNTER AREAS
walk to the nearest town).

Illumination THE CEMETERY

There is a full moon in the sky that pro-
vides sufficient illumination to make out Clearly visible to your right is the town’s
general details. However, the pervasive fog cemetery. A black wrought iron fence sur-
limits line of sight to no more than 50 feet rounds the dozen or so headstones within.
(beyond this it obscures all detail). Entry can be had through an eight-foot gap
in the fence seemingly left vacant for this
very purpose.
Time
The passage of time is an important ele- g The moon is full and provides sufficient light
ment in this scenario. The haunted town is to read the inscriptions on the headstones even if the
transitory and will vanish at daybreak. Any PCs do not have a lantern.
living being remaining within the town when
g If the players decide to investigate the tomb-
it vanishes will be forever trapped (and thus stones, there are 16 in total. Players may surmise
lost to the world at large). You must there- that there are two entire families buried here along
fore keep track of the time your players with several other lone individuals. The surname
spend in town. Johnson appears on an adult male (32 years old at
time of death) and female marker (27 years old) as
g Assume that performing a cursory well as 3 children (7, 5 and 3 years old) all grouped
search of a building will take 10 minutes. together while Smith appears on a adult male mark-
This is sufficient to discover any items lying er (29 years old), a female marker (28 years old) and
in the open but does not permit the discov- four children (6, 5, 3 and 1 years old).
ery of items that require a successful g Each individual died in the same year (1850).
Observation check to uncover. This is twenty years ago.
g If the players decide to dig up the graves
g Each use of the Observation skill
(assuming they are equipped with shovels), they are
requires an additional 10 minutes of search
in for some back breaking work. Two men can
time. These may be attempted in parallel by unearth a casket in about 5 hours while 3-4 men can
multiple players all wanting to perform this complete the task in about 3 hours. However, long
skill check. before they finish, the fog will become increasingly
dense. Ten minutes thereafter, characters will begin
g Should your players wish to perform to imagine seeing ghostly forms with agonized
other actions, use your best judgment as to expressions in the fog. You should now make a roll
the time it takes to accomplish said task. on the Fear Chart.

Attempting to strike these forms with a hand-held

g If a character owns a pocket watch, he
weapon or implement will result in the individual
should be permitted to inquire as to the
receiving a cold shock doing d4p damage. This also
time whenever he wishes. necessitates an additional fear check. Bullets pass
harmlessly through these apparitions but presenting
a religious icon such as a cross or prayer beads will
cause them to dissipate.

5
THE STAGECOACH STATION g Close examination of the wooden statue
reveals that there is a dry tuft of hair still clinging
After passing the cemetery, you can make to the end of the tomahawk.
out the first two buildings. The one on your
left appears to be a general store. The one on Looking around the store immediately
the right appears to be stagecoach station reveals that all the supplies are gone.
with a corral behind.
g Behind the counter there is a trap door in the
g If the players decide to investigate the floor. This reveals a ladder descending into a small
Stagecoach Station, they find an abandoned and cellar. If the PCs have their own light source, they
empty building save for a lone piece of decaying can see that there is a small table below strewn with
luggage in the doorway. papers – without a lantern it is simply a dark hole.
The suitcase contains clothing and a medical kit The paperwork consists of the store supply lists, and
along with a letter begun by the young doctor it a note that reads: “Running low on supplies, because
once belonged to. It reads, “My dearest, I have of those lousy bandits!”
nearly reached the town of Halfway and will make
Should any player wish to search further, roll an
sure to send for you soon.” Hidden in a false com-
average difficulty Observation check. A successful
partment (found if the suitcase is torn apart) is an
check indicates that the PC found a cubbyhole con-
old pearl handled, scrolled Philadelphia Deringer.
taining a loaded Lemat Two-Barrel pistol and a
This weapon is functionally identical to the Marlin
leather pouch filled with with 120 silver dollars.
Stonewall Derringer save that it takes percussion
caps and black powder (increasing reload speed to
30). The weapon is worth $45.

Out back is a stable in which four stalls

contain the bones of dead horses and the sad-
dles (rotted and useless) that they once
wore. The stable opens up into a fenced-in
corral.

g Players may spend up to 10 minutes investigat-

ing this area with no ill effects.
After this time, they will think they hear the neigh-
ing of the horses that once were there. All players
must make a fear check.

THE GENERAL STORE

The general store on the left looks run
down and the swinging doors now lay broken
at the front of the store walkway. There is a
carved statue of an Indian holding a toma-
hawk and bow that is made out of a reddish
hued wood.

6
 far left corner is a piano. There is a lot of
WAR CHIEF STATUE
dust and cobwebs about making it difficult to
Players have 20 minutes to examine the general store make out any details of what might be here
and move on before the War Chief animates save that a staircase in the rear of the build-
(although desecration will cause to activate immedi- ing leads up to the second floor.
ately).
If the PCs are still in the vicinity of the general
g If the players search the tables, they will find
store, the war chief will begin to slowly move off
its base and attack the characters. This initial anima- 4 decks of playing cards, and chips along with a mul-
tion requires a fear check. titude of shot glasses. A pair of lavender velvet
gloves lies atop the piano’s keys.
The statue moves at strolling speed (5 feet/20
g If any of the players goes to the bar, a shot
count). Preferentially, it will hack at the closest PC
with its tomahawk (+8 Accuracy due to distance glass will slide towards them across the counter.
[less the PCs Dexterity Accuracy Modifier], d6+1 Each player witnessing this must roll a fear check.
Damage). With its tomahawk, an attack takes 4 g If the players search behind the bar, they will
counts with a 3 count recovery. find a loaded Remington Shotgun. If a player keeps
Should the PCs run from its immediate vicinity, it searching, allow them to make an average difficulty
will shoot arrows at them. Presume that it has Observation check. Success indicates they found a
expert mastery in Primitive Ranged Weapon Use and loose floorboard under which are hidden 20 gold
combat modifiers of Speed and Accuracy both +3. nuggets ($400) and 40 silver dollars.
The Indian statue takes 60 hp of damage to destroy. g If a player investigates the stairway, they
Note that due to the fog, the Indian and PCs are appear rickety and unsafe. Though they will creak
both limited to 50 feet line of sight. Should the ominously if climbed, they will support a man’s
PCs pass beyond the statue’s visual range, it steps weight. The top floor contains four rental units –
back on to its podium and de-animates. the doors to which are all open. All are stripped bare
save the first one investigated. This room contains a
diary (written in French). If anyone can read it, the
The next two houses come into view, but
author writes about the trouble the town has had
after seeing the first part of the town your
with a gang and that residents are mysteriously dis-
nerves are a little rattled. The building on appearing during nights of the full moon.
the right looks like a gambling hall, while
the one on the left looks like a brothel. As
you look over your shoulder, it seems like
that fog is creeping into town. You all look g If the players linger more than 20 minutes in
around and still can’t make out any stars or this establishment, the old piano in the corner will
the position of the moon behind the veil of start to play as with the velvet gloves seemingly
clouds. The horses that you have been with striking the keys. This apparition requires that all
have had enough at this point and run away, players make a fear check.
or throw you off (If still riding) so that they
can get out of town. As you exit the saloon, it is difficult to
make out any of the buildings in the fog. It
is not difficult to fathom why the horses ran
THE SALOON AND GAMBLING HALL off. You now have but two options, chase
To the right are the once fine carved swing- after the horses into the darkness, or solve
ing doors of the gambling hall. Inside, there the mystery of what happened to this town.
are eight tables with various drinking glasses You hear the sound of coyotes off in the
and playing cards scattered about them. To distance.
your right is a long wooden bar while in the

7
THE BROTHEL SPECIAL ENCOUNTER: DEVIL DAN’S GANG
As you approach the remains of the brothel As your group steps out of the Brothel,
on your left, you can see that it must have what you see turns your blood to ice. There,
been one of the best buildings in town, with on the skeletal remains of three horses, is
its fine turned posts and curtains. There is a the visage of terror itself. Riding on top of
swinging door on the front that looks the center horse is a figure straight out of
remarkably clean after all this time. your nightmares - a skeleton of what once
was a large and vicious looking man. The
g If the players decide to go in, they will see other two figures are still wearing their rid-
that the greeting room is inexplicably in pristine ing clothes, but like their leader, they are in
condition and not dilapidated like every other struc- tatters.
ture in town. You can catch a whiff of the perfumes The leader speaks without moving his jaw
and powders of the girls that once worked there.
that has frozen from rot, yet you hear:
The room contains a large sofa, two love seats, six
“What are you varmints doing in my town?
chairs and two loungers. There is also a winding
stairway running up to the second floor.
Don’t you know that the 'Devil' rules this
place?” (All players must make a fear check)
g If the players search this room, allow them to
make an (easy) Observation check. If successful,
they find that there is a letter on the roster label g If the players infer that they are just passing
that reads: “A couple girls went missing last night through, Dan and his gang will ask them to 'silver
when they went to get water from the well for the up' for a passage tax. Dan will take 20 dollars each
rooms. We think that 'Devil' Dan Kruger’s gang is for safe passage through 'his town'.
responsible.” g If the party claims ignorance or poverty, Dan
g If the players go upstairs, they will discover will give an ultimatum to the group: “Get the silver
six rooms the doors to which are all falling off the in one hour or there will be trouble, times running”.
hinges. If they continue into the rooms to investi- g If the party pays Dan off, his gang rides off
gate, they will see pairs of gloves, nightgowns, and for the evening (and thus forever).
gartered hosiery strewn about the room.

Combat with Dan’s Gang

g If PCs linger more than 10 minutes, they
should roll an observation check (easy) to gauge if If the players open fire on Dan and his gang at this
they notice the smells of perfume. If they remain in point, they likely will not be able to harm them. As
the room, they start to see ghostly mirages as if the supernatural spirits, they are immune to the effects
ladies are still there getting ready for the evening’s of bullets, arrows and close quarter combat weapons.
work. Gloved hands holding the edges of her garter However, if said weapons are blessed, they may
and pulling up her hosiery. Skirts floating up from injure these ghosts.
the ground and stopping just above the garters. This There is a church in town containing an urn with
visage necessitates rolling a fear check. holy water. If this fluid is sprinkled on any weapon,
it gains the ability to wound the phantom gang.
Note, if a PC is following the “Preacher”
Profession Path, he may say a prayer over a weapon
thus imparting it with the ability to injure Dan or
his fellow gang members.

8
Unlike the phantom weapons the gang employs (see Henchmen (2): hp 15; Speed +5, Accuracy +1; Str
below), blessed weapons cause both damage and full 10/04, Int 10/10, Wis 10/15, Dex 12/15, Con 3/84,
ancillary effects to these ghosts (see charts in Aces Lks n/a, Cha 7/18; Rep -5, Fame 2; Gunfights 1;
& Eights Chapter 3.3|Wounds & Healing). Firearms #1 - Springfield Model 1842 Musket (func-
tionally equivalent to Richmond Armory Musket)
Should the PCs initiate combat, regardless of its
#2 – Remington Shotgun
efficacy, Dan will tirelessly pursue them firing all
the while until they are dead, or run out of town.
Note that the gang cannot enter the church – or fire
into it - due to it being sanctified ground. Players SHERIFF'S OFFICE
seeking refuge there will continue hearing Dan’s The next two buildings that come into view
rants and cursing outside of the church. are the sheriff ’s office on the right and the
If any of the phantom riders is killed, his body (and Bank of Halfway on the left. The air is begin-
weapons) will slowly dissipate away into nothing- ning to feel close and stale and the moon is
ness. If Dan is eliminated before his henchmen, the beginning to set shrouding the buildings in
latter two will turn around and ride out of town darkness.
regardless of further provocation.
The door to the Sherriff ’s Office is flap-
Damage from the Phantom gang’s guns ping in the chill night air. A bare desk sits
The weapons the skeletal riders fire are also phantas- just inside the door. Behind the desk is an
mal. Should they strike a PC, a chilling burn is the empty gun rack as well as a motley array of
only physical evidence. This inflicts damage equal to wanted posters. The northeast corner of the
a normal bullet (and requires a fear check) but any building holds a lone cell, long since rusted,
ancillary effect (from the necessity of making a containing two skeletons.
Strength check to instant death) is ignored.
However, if a PC is killed by these phantasmal
wounds, he dies as surely as if they were real (and
his soul is forever trapped within the town…) g The wanted posters have faded into illegibility
save for one offering a reward of $2000 (alive) or
The ghostly gang will never run out of ammunition
$500 (dead) for 'Devil' Dan Kruger. The eyes of the
though they must allocate time to reload should
poster have been burned out.
they expend the rounds in their chambers.
g Searching the desk reveals both a key and a
Should any character be carrying a religious item
logbook. The key opens the (locked) cell. Perusing
(Bible, Rosary, Saint Christopher medallion, etc.),
the logbook reveals an interesting final entry, “Lost
phantom bullets will not harm them.
the last group of deputies that we sent out after
Gang Combat Stats Dan’s gang. Don’t know if anyone else is left in
‘Devil’ Dan Kruger: hp 27; Speed -3, Accuracy +7; town to fight. I’m alone!”
Str 15/28, Int 10/56, Wis 14/24, Dex 18/10, Con g Should characters wish to search for a con-
15/43, Lks n/a, Cha 11/54; Rep -30, Fame 29; cealed compartment in the desk, they must succeed
Talents dead eye, great ambidexterity, mounted at an average difficulty Observation check. Doing so
marksmanship; Gunfights 5; Firearms twin colt dra- reveals a (loaded) Colt Navy pistol and a Native
goons with hickory handles (signature weapons); old American carving that shows a mound and two fig-
Spanish map (this item is real and will fall to the ures carrying a third into it.
ground if Dan is ‘killed’

9
 g Closely examining the skeletons necessitates g If the PCs remain in the bank for longer than
entering the cell. One of the skeletons is hanging 20 minutes (a necessity if the bodies are to be
from the bars in the back and has a Sheriff’s Badge searched), they will imagine seeing flames engulf
pinned to its chest. The other is wearing the the building and hearing the screams of the panicked
remains of a fine dress and has a bullet hole through people trapped in the bank. All players must make a
the skull. In its right hand is a Philadelphia fear check.
Deringer (spent). In the other hand is a [suicide]
note that reads: “My darling, I have failed to pro-
tect you and our town. Love, your husband Jeremy.” THE CHURCH
g If players remain in this building for 20 min- Before you is an old Spanish style church
utes or more, they will hear the wails of a woman in made from mud bricks which likely predates
deep agony and grief followed by the sound of bones the town. The shattered remains of stained
rattling. All players must make a fear check. glass windows and rotted front doors indicate
that this house of worship has withstood the
test of time no better than the other struc-
tures of the ghost town.
THE BANK Upon entering, you are greeted by the roof-
The building before you shows extensive less and decayed remains of what might have
fire damage. In addition, the doorway is rid- been a grand building.
dled with bullet holes and is splintered.
Beyond the entrance lies a ramshackle pile g If the party searches the church, they find a
of desks and chairs. You can barely make out bowl atop a raised pedestal alongside the altar.
the charred sign stating “Halfway Bank”. Unexpectedly, it still has water in it. A player with
Given the makeshift blockage as well as the any skill mastery in Religion (Christian) will auto-
residual damage from the fire, searching this matically know that this is a baptismal font.
building will take twice as long. g Sprinkling the water on a weapon or bullet
Inside the bank, there looks to be about will permit it to injure ‘Devil’ Dan Kruger and his
thirty or more skeletons in a pile in the cen- ghostly henchmen.
ter of the room. All are burnt and covered in g Despite its state of disrepair, the religious
ash. Glancing around it appears that the safe iconography imparts a calming effect. Anyone
has been blown out. One can just imagine remaining in the church for 20 minutes may sub-
what was going through the minds of these tract d6p from their current Fear Level.
poor people as the building around them
burned, having nowhere to run.
DAN’S GANG RETURNS
g Searching through the human remains, a task (If Dan and his gang are not placated or defeated
that will take 30 minutes, uncovers a key on a long when initially first encountered, they will reappear
chain. This key opens the lockbox below. This and attack!)
search will also uncover a heavy blackened mass of
As you exit the ruins of the church, you
metal (the residue of $100 worth of silver coinage).
hear the sound of pounding hooves.
g If the party searches the Vault, they find a Breaking out of the fog are the ghostly
lock box beneath some rubble. In the box is a two images of Dan and his cohorts riding on their
pound gold bar ($500) with a Spanish stamp on it, horses. The eyes of their mounts glow red. A
and a note that reads: “Proof of what Dan’s after -
large, booming voice is heard, “Y’all had yer
Prospector Bob”
chance to get out” quickly followed by the
crack of a pistol shot.

10
 g The PCs are free to leave the ghost town at
g See Special Encounter: Devil Dan’s Gang for
this point should they choose. All they need do is
details on running this encounter
continue walking. See Conclusions: Walked Out of
g If the players used the water in the baptismal Town Before Dawn.
font to anoint any of their weapons, they will now
be able to wound Dan and his gang.
THE GALLOWS
To your left are the broken remains of a
THE CARPENTER SHOP gallows. In one of the pair of nooses hangs a
This building is a workshop that was evi- skeleton clad in what must have once been
dently used to make repairs on wheels and fine clothes. A placard is hung around his
various other carpentry-related jobs around neck but you cannot read it from this
town given that the handiwork of the carpen- distance.
ter lies just outside. Included with these
completed jobs are a number of coffins that, g Approaching to within five feet of the skele-
coincidentally, match the number of mem- ton permits reading of the placard. It states “Your
bers of the party. Mayor.”
g Anyone sufficiently ghoulish to rifle through
g There is a plaque above each coffin that has the mayor’s pockets will be rewarded with a fancy
the first name of each of the party members on it. pocket watch on which is inscribed, “From the peo-
Everyone must make a fear check upon witnessing ple of Halfway.” Although unwound and currently
this. useless to gauge the actual time, it is functional and
worth $20.
g If the shop is entered, the tools will be seen to
be working on their own. All party members view-
ing this haunted automation must also make a fear
check. THE WELL
g Searching the workshop reveals a fine set of To your right sits what is obviously a well. A
carpenter tools neatly stored in a case. beam is emplaced above the shaft from
g Further searching (necessitating an average which a rope dangles down into the earth.
Observation check) discovers that the desk at the
back of the shop has a hollow leg containing a blue-
print of the town and a full map of the area.
g Investigating the well reveals that a ladder has
g There is a note on the back of the map that been placed into the shaft just below the lip of the
states: “The well needs a new level dug in it and we well.
need to make a ladder about 50 feet in length -
g The ladder seems sturdy and will indeed hold
Prospector Bob and Bill.”
the weight of one person at a time.
g Should anyone chose to climb down the well,
The End of the Line? they will think they hear a soft undecipherable
chant coming from it. This requires making a fear
You’ve finally reached the edge of the far check.
side of town. There is an old well on the right
and a set of broken gallows on the left.

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 g There is a skeleton at the bottom of the well. g The temporal rift to the shaman’s tomb opens
It may presumed to be a miner as amongst the bones up on a full moon when the stars are right and traps
can be found a pick axe, a lantern with oil in its anyone who does not leave by morning light. This
reservoir, flint and steel and a pouch containing two occurs every 12 years and this is the night.
gold nuggets ($40). The skeleton has an ornate dag-
ger in the left eye socket that has penetrated out the
After walking a hundred or so feet down
back of the skull.
the muraled tunnel, you enter into a vaulted
g Anyone with even novice mastery in History chamber 15 feet in diameter. Two earthen
will recognize the symbol of the Spanish eagle on mounds sit in the center of the chamber
the pommel of the dagger. upon each of which lie immaculately pre-
g Investigation of the walls at the bottom of the served remains. The body on the right is clad
well reveals that the southern portion is bricked up. in old-fashioned armor and a sword lies to his
This is clearly unnatural. side. The individual on the left wears an
ornate cape and clenches a pole in his hands.

THE LOST TOMB

The chief (right) is adorned with the
g Breaking through the adobe brick wall will treasures of his victories in battle.
take an hour of strenuous work.
g The most noticeable item is a beautiful gilded
breast and back plate of a Spanish Conquistador that
As you pass through the breech, you enter he is wearing. Given its remarkable state of preserva-
into a five-foot wide tunnel faced in brick. tion and fine craftsmanship, this piece could fetch
On these walls are a series of paintings $1000+10d20 if sold at auction.
depicting a band of Indian braves fighting off g The sword is a fine, ivory pommeled and
a group of shiny-skinned monsters that have etched Spanish rapier. This piece is valued at
sticks that shoot fire, and a shaman holding $500+5d20 if sold at auction. Its sheath is embla-
up a strange staff with light coming out of it. zoned with the name 'Don Cortez'.
g If a PC possesses any mastery the Culture
g Closer examination of the paintings causes the (Navaho) skill, he will know that the body is that
viewer to hallucinate that the images have some to of a Navaho war chief.
life. This necessitates making a fear check.
g If the party watches the moving picture show
(this requires 20 minutes), they will get the full
story of who this tomb belongs to and what hap-
pened to the town above it. The ground on which
the town was built was sacred to the indigenous peo-
ple of this region because they fought a desperate
battle with a group of strangers that rode on horses
and wore metal on their bodies. They were defeated
by a strange Shaman and banished from time with
his magic.

12
The shaman (left) wears ceremonial garb. EXODUS FROM THE TOMB
Upon removing the scepter from the
g His head rests upon nine 2 pound gold bricks shaman’s grasp, the ground begins to
each of which is stamped with a Spanish royal seal rumble…
and mint mark ($4500 total).
g The pole in his hands is a ceremonial scepter.
The 5 carat blue topaz is worth $450 if pried loose. g Players will have to hustle to grab what they
As a museum piece, it may be worth $5000-$10,000 can and run for the exit at the base of the well. If
but only an individual with expert mastery in the scepter was the first item they looted, any fur-
Appraisal (antiquities) would recognize it for what ther looting will risk being caught in the collapse of
it truly is. Note that prying the stone out or remov- the tomb.
ing the scepter from his hands will initiate a collapse g If a character runs as soon as they feel the first
of the tomb as the scepter is the cause of the prob- rumble, they will automatically escape. However, if
lems in this town. Removing it restores the natural they stop to grab a few more items they must roll a
order. d20 and subtract 2 for each additional item they
g If a PC possesses any mastery the Culture wish to take. Any adjusted rolls of 1 or below indi-
(Incan) skill, he will know that the body is that of a cate that the PC was crushed in the collapse of the
Incan priest. Those with the Culture skill specific to tomb.
other Indian tribes will simply know that his cloth-
ing is not native to the tribe with which they are
familiar. Alternatively, a difficult History check
will also reveal his tribal affiliation.

13
 g
CONCLUSIONS Each Party member gains 3 BPs

There are a number of ways for this sce- g 4 Reputation Points are awarded.
nario to play out. Four generalized outcomes People on the frontier are starved for enter-
are anticipated and the consequences of each tainment and a new ghost story purportedly
are listed hereafter from most positive to having taken place in their own back yard
least. proves moderately popular.

ESCAPING THE TOMB g Recovery of the Spanish Gold Bar

The party climbs out of the dirt and dust of (located in the bank) is worth 1 Fame to
the dark well to see that the morning is here each PC.
and the town has gone. Behind you, the well
collapses in on itself. You can see terrain that RAN AWAY IN FEAR
looks familiar to you now and the horses that Cowards who flee the town of their own
ran away are in a field just ahead. accord preserve their life but at the cost of
their reputation.
g Each Party member gains 5 BPs
g No BPs are granted.
g 10 Reputation Points are awarded. While
their tales of the night’s events are difficult to g The PC loses 5 reputation points for
believe on face value, it is an enthralling ghost being a yellow-bellied sissy man
story that gets retold over and over throughout
the Cauldron. g He gains the Quirk Superstitious
(thereafter afraid to enter seemingly aban-
g Recovery of the gilded breastplate and
doned towns and fearing fog)
saber are worth 5 Fame each to the individual
selling it at auction (if sold by the PCs as a
group, each takes an equal share of the Fame) Note: If a PC was compelled to run away as a
g The Spanish Gold Bars are worth 1 Fame result of accumulated fear via the Fear Chart, his
each. Again, there are 10 possible Fame points reputation is preserved and he does not gain the
to be allocated which must be divided equally Quirk detailed above.
if joint ownership is enforced.
g The players may have gained some valu- TIMED OUT OR DEAD
able artifacts that they can liquidate depending If any PC is killed in town, they are trapped
on their actions in the tomb forever. If the party as a whole or any indi-
vidual does not make it out of town in time
WALKED OUT AT THE END OF TOWN (10 hours of in-game play), they are also
BEFORE DAWN trapped there and become permanent mem-
If the party chooses to simply leave once bers of the community. The GM must keep
they reach the far side of town, the envelop- this a secret until the time runs out.
ing fog dissipates and they stumble across
their horses grazing in a field just north of
where they entered the town. Looking back,
the town simply fades from view like the hor-
rible nightmare it is.

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