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 ====== Journal Entries ======
-==== In the beginning ====
+  - [[In the beginning|In the beginning]]
-In the dusty town of Perfection, a group of unlikely heroes—Rose Ramone, The "Colonel" Sanders, Qayin Abraham, and Joaquin Brighton—formed a posse after investigating a bizarre outbreak linked to tainted alcohol. The contaminated drink caused the townsfolk to devolve into feral, monstrous versions of themselves, attacking without mercy. Forced to flee, the posse made their escape by train, leaving Perfection in ruins behind them.
+  - [[Gravedust - Mesa Mining Operation]]
-Their pursuit of the truth behind the pathogen led them across the Weird West, encountering new horrors at every turn. They came upon a desert town plagued by Desert Stalks, lost a harrowed child named Samuel Huckleberry—who vanished back into the twisted wilds—and witnessed a small hilltop community torn apart by paranoia and bloodshed. The corruption left its mark: Joaquin Brighton eventually succumbed to madness, turning violently on the posse without regret.
-The trail brought them to the town of Goldfield, where they encountered Alphonse Mysterio, a charismatic figure who had used the power of the Red Ring to enthrall the townsfolk, creating a loyal "flock." Though the posse tried to reason with him, tensions reached a boiling point when Joaquin shot Alphonse during his surrender. Mysterio died before his followers, and though the Red Ring was recovered, most of the townsfolk either forgot the incident entirely or dismissed it as a bad dream.
-Their journey then took them into the wastes, to the Gravedust - Mesa Mining Operation, a place that would signal the beginning of the end for the so-called Ring Hunters. Joaquin, increasingly volatile, was expelled from the group after drunkenly threatening locals in a saloon with dynamite.
-Learning of a monster halting the mining efforts, the posse hired a boastful traveling hunter, Ferrisford McBungleton, who claimed to be the greatest hunter in the States. During the expedition, however, they were ambushed by a Wendigo, which tore McBungleton apart in a gruesome attack.
-Barely escaping, the group discovered a small cabin atop the mesa containing the diary of a mysterious figure who had sealed the Wendigo away. This turned out to be Helushka (Wendigo) the Brave, a harrowed who had gained control over his manitou but had been corrupted by the Blue Ring. His mind and body had been twisted by its power.
-With the Blue Ring secured, a decision was made: The Mesa Shaman (formerly a member of the posse) chose to remain atop the mesa, devoting herself to maintaining the seals and aiding The Brave in keeping his darker nature suppressed.
-Soon after, the posse dissolved.
-Rose Ramone, disturbed by the group’s desire to destroy the Rings, became fascinated with their power. After encountering a massive homunculus composed of steam-powered machinery and stitched flesh, her growing madness took hold. She vanished into the wilderness, seeking a place to continue her experiments in solitude.
-Joaquin Brighton, now operating solo as a bounty hunter, quickly racked up a long list of crimes, earning a substantial bounty on his own head.
-Qayin Abraham, the blessed, began wandering the West alone, searching for knowledge that could lead to the destruction of the Rings of the Dead and cleanse their influence from the land.
-The Mesa Shaman remained in her cabin at the summit, dedicating herself to aiding The Brave and guarding the world from the Wendigo’s wrath.
-The “Colonel” Sanders chose a quieter life, settling at the Mesa Mining Operation and overseeing the secure storage of the rings in a sealed cavern beneath the mesa.
-One year has passed…
-==== Entry 1: Arrival at the Gloomstone Wastes ====
-**Mesa Mining Town — The Blood Moon Descent**
-The town at the foot of the red rock mesa didn’t have a proper name—just “the Mesa Mining Operation”—but the locals called it Gravedust. The sky was streaked with the gold and rust of a dying sun when the posse arrived.
-Kenny Loggings, a journalist with ink-stained fingers and a nose for stories, made a straight line for the saloon. Not far behind him came Shane McTavish, a bare-knuckle fighter with fists like stone and a thirst that hadn’t been quenched in weeks. One came chasing a scoop, the other, a strong drink and silence.
-Inside the saloon, the air was thick with smoke, laughter, and regret. Colonel Sanders—half-drenched in bourbon and twice as loud—was regaling a bored crowd with tales of cursed treasures, haunted trails, and companions long gone. Most folks dismissed him as a charming madman, but Kenny leaned in, pen ready. Shane joined him, eyes narrowed. In the Deadlands, even madmen might speak the truth.
-The Colonel’s voice dropped, hushed and heavy. He spoke of The Rings of the Dead—foul artifacts that twist the mind and damn the soul. He talked of companions who’d fallen to madness, wandered off into the wilds, or simply vanished. Now, only he remained. The townsfolk didn’t shun him, but their sighs said enough. They’d heard the stories before. They just hoped the mad old bastard wasn’t right.
-As the last of the sun dipped below the mesa, the Colonel caught the suspicious glint in his new drinking buddies’ eyes. With a half-hearted excuse and a stumble, he took his leave, vanishing into the hotel with only his shadow for company.
-Elsewhere, Erica Sanchez—the Maverick Mad Scientist—was less interested in ghost stories. She prowled the town with a calculating eye, drawn to the massive freight elevator built into the side of the mesa. She studied its gears and levers, puzzled by its size and silence. She could understand its function—but not its power source. Something about it felt wrong. With questions but no answers, she turned toward the saloon for a meal and a bed.
-Lavina “Vina” Fortuna, a wandering gypsy and trickster of no small talent, rolled into town at dusk. Her first stop was the livery for supplies. There, a muddled old stablehand mistook her for someone else and handed over a curious package. Wrapped in bone-colored cloth and smelling of herbs and ash, it wasn’t hers—but she wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. She stashed it and booked a room at the hotel.
-As the last light faded, a rider came into town—Tommy Tomahawk, a silent brave atop a great buffalo. He didn’t say much, didn’t need to. He headed straight for the saloon, took his fill of whiskey and meat, and watched the strangers drift through town.
-While Erica returned from the saloon, a soft clunk echoed from the freight elevator. The platform touched ground, and from it stepped a figure wrapped in furs, feathers, and the bones of animals. Her face was painted like death. Her eyes saw only purpose. She moved through the town like a storm gathering in the distance.
-It wasn’t long before that storm found Lavina.
-The woman—the Shaman—tracked her to the hotel, eyes burning with fury. Lavina tried to lie. She always did. But the Shaman saw through the act and, with a flick of her fingers and a whisper of power, froze Lavina in place. She retrieved her stolen package and delivered a warning: the Blood Moon was rising, and time was already lost.
-The night settled in. Most took to their rooms, uneasy but exhausted. All but Shane, who stayed beneath the stars, watching the moon burn redder by the hour with a bottle in hand.
-Then came the noise.
-Strange sounds echoed through the hotel—soft footfalls, creaking wood, a door forced open. Lavina and Erica crept to investigate. What they found turned their stomachs.
-The Colonel’s room was in ruins. Blood soaked the floorboards. He’d been beaten near to death by a group of strange men, and whatever they were looking for, they didn’t find it.
-Lavina confronted one of them in the hallway—a tall man, skin pale and stretched thin, eyes dead and glistening. He exuded something cold and ancient. Fear gripped her like iron shackles. She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move. The undead man and his cohorts slipped into the night, leaving no answers, only dread.
-The noise roused the rest. One by one, the others joined them outside. But it was too late.
-The attackers were already ascending the freight elevator, vanishing into the red-tinged shadows above. The moon loomed over them—full, high, and burning blood-bright.
-Something terrible had been set in motion.
-And the Deadlands were stirring.
-----
-==== Entry 2: Battle Atop the Mesa ====
-**Mesa Mining Town — The Blood Moon Descent (Part II)**
-The freight elevator groaned as it carried them toward the summit of the mesa, iron chains rattling in the darkness below. What awaited them at the top was not what any of them expected.
-The mesa should have been barren stone and dust.
-Instead, it was alive.
-Lush green grass stretched beneath the crimson glow of the Blood Moon, broken only by clusters of towering stones placed in a great circle around the mesa’s edge. Each monolith stood hundreds of feet apart, weathered by time and carved with markings none of them could fully understand.
-As they crossed between the stones, most of the group felt nothing more than a chill breeze.
-But Lavina “Vina” Fortuna stopped dead in her tracks.
-Something shifted in the air around her—subtle, unnatural. Like passing through invisible water. The sensation crawled across her skin and settled deep in her gut. Uneasy, she tested the boundary, stepping back and forth through the threshold before finally nodding to the others.
-The barrier could still be crossed.
-For now.
-They pressed onward through a narrow forest path where twisted trees arched overhead like skeletal fingers. Beyond it, the mesa opened into a vast field of unnatural greenery stretching from one end of the plateau to the other. In the distance sat a lone cabin near the cliff’s far edge.
-And near the center of the mesa stood the congregation.
-By the time the posse drew close enough to see clearly, the violence had already begun.
-The Shaman lay bloodied in the grass, barely conscious. Beside her, another brave had been severed clean across the waist—yet impossibly, horrifically, he still lived. He clawed at the earth with trembling hands, trying to drag himself back into the fight through sheer will alone.
-Standing before them all was Alphonse Mysterio.
-The preacher turned slowly toward the newcomers, a thick Texan drawl rolling from his lips.
-“Now folks… it’d be mighty rude to interrupt a sermon.”
-In one hand he carried a heavy tome bound in cracked leather. Hovering above his other palm spun three rings—blue, red, and black—glowing faintly beneath the blood-red moon.
-“I am about to commune with the Holy Spirit.”
-Then the shooting started.
-Gunfire erupted across the mesa as Joaquin Brighton strode forward like an iron war machine. Bullets fired by Kenny Loggings slammed into Joaquin’s metal-plated body and ricocheted harmlessly away while Joaquin answered with thunderous blasts from his hand cannon.
-Nearby, Dorian Quicksilver toyed with Tommy Tomahawk like a cat with a wounded animal. Tommy’s blades struck true again and again, carving into flesh—
-—but the wounds vanished almost instantly.
-Dorian only laughed.
-Vina hurled hex after hex toward him, but each spell unraveled before it could take hold. It was as though reality itself bent around the man, fate rewriting itself to protect him.
-From somewhere in the darkness, Viola Cohan moved unseen beneath the moonlight, taking careful shots from cover. One bullet tore into Vina’s side, sending her collapsing into the grass. Pain shattered her concentration, leaving her barely able to breathe, let alone cast.
-Elsewhere on the battlefield, Erica Sanchez closed in on Rose Ramone.
-The mad scientist stood near the ritual site with wild fascination in her eyes, utterly enthralled by the carnage unfolding around her. Erica lunged, rope knife flashing through the air just as Joaquin drove a massive metal fist into Kenny’s chest, sending the journalist sprawling backward into the dirt.
-Joaquin spotted Erica moving toward Rose and opened fire.
-Erica twisted aside, narrowly avoiding death as bullets tore through the grass around her. One round grazed her shoulder, but she pressed forward, whipping the rope dart toward Rose’s hand. The strike connected, knocking a small mechanical device free and sending it tumbling into the grass.
-Rose’s expression shifted instantly from delight to alarm.
-Deciding discretion was the better part of madness, she fled from the heart of the battle and disappeared into the night.
-Then Dorian raised his hand.
-Black lightning exploded outward in a deafening crack.
-Tommy’s scream echoed across the mesa as the brave’s body seized and collapsed into the earth, smoke rising from his skin. But worse than the sound was the expression on Dorian’s face.
-That smile.
-Cruel. Delighted. Inhuman.
-Through it all, Alphonse continued reading calmly from his tome.
-The three rings spun faster and faster above his hand, their glow intensifying until streaks of light appeared across the distant horizon.
-One.
-Then another.
-Then five more.
-They arced through the night sky toward the mesa like falling stars.
-Vina gritted her teeth against the pain and forced the words out.
-“Don’t let him finish the ritual!”
-Tommy lay motionless. Vina could barely move. Panic spread through the group as the lights descended closer and closer.
-Erica, having recovered Rose’s fallen device, hurled her rope dart at Alphonse in desperation. The strike hit him squarely, but the preacher barely reacted. He simply turned and glared at her with cold fury.
-Then came a single gunshot.
-Kenny Loggings, battered and barely able to stand, had steadied his revolver from one knee.
-The bullet struck the blue ring.
-For a split second, the world seemed to stop.
-Then the ring shot skyward in a streak of brilliant blue light, vanishing into the heavens. Instantly, the descending streaks stalled midair before crashing down far beyond the mesa, scattering somewhere within the wastelands of Gloomstone.
-For the first time that night, fear crossed Alphonse Mysterio’s face.
-Only for a moment.
-Then came rage.
-The remaining congregation turned and walked silently toward the distant cabin without a single word. All except Dorian, who gave the posse a mocking wave before disappearing into the dark after them.
-Alphonse slipped the remaining red and black rings onto his fingers.
-The clouds above twisted violently.
-Raising one hand toward the heavens, the preacher slowly closed his fist.
-Then he brought it crashing downward.
-The sky answered.
-The storm clouds split apart as an enormous spectral fist descended from the heavens and slammed into the mesa with catastrophic force.
-Stone cracked.
-The earth screamed.
-And the side of the mesa began to crumble beneath their feet.