At the University, we received the latest in our apparent series of odd-jobs. Professor Jameson from the Paleontology department had asked for our help with something. He was awaiting us in Wakehold, Utah. It took us a few days ride on the rail network to get there. On the way, we stopped by the Tombstone Epitaph offices to let them know we had actually dealt with the train cult that people were apparently going wild hunting for.

Once we arrived in Wakehold, we headed straight for the saloon, The Dispute Hole, and met with the professor. He claims that his rival, Dr Amelia Fortune, had recently made a grand new discovery and he would like us to check it out to ensure it was legitimate. Black River railroads were seen to be working with Dr Fortune.

Hades and I went to read up on paleontology for a bit, as we intended to bluff our way in to Dr Fortune’s dig site. Raft and Nakomi stayed in the saloon to talk to 5 Black River goons who had arrived to get drunk. Apparently something has been killing their workers at the dig site.

Hades and I also went to fake a telegram from Dean Lockwood, the dean of Miskatonic university which would help “verify” our employment at the dig site.

The next day we followed the Black River workers to the dig site. I and Hades were claiming to be paleontologists with the others guarding us. Hades bought me a vocal unction elixir to help me smooth talk our way in.

We reached the dig site. I spoke to Dr Fortune and convinced her that we should stay. She doesn’t seem too interested in the actual science of paleontology, which at least helped us wrangle our way in. She showed us her discovery – 3 pristine dinosaur skeletons of a brand new species she had named “Fortunasaurus.”

Hades took pictures of the remains using the epitaph camera. We then got a short tour of the area. Hades distracted Dr Fortune and I examined the remains, they did seem like legitimate dinosaur bones.

Two wounded men suddenly came bursting out of the mines near the dig site. 1 of them was missing half of his leg so I took charge with my medical experience, oddly there was no bleeding. Some kind of coagulant had sealed his wound and he had been subjected to some form of paralyzing agent. He also had a strange, sharp wound in his abdomen inside of which I found various roe-like eggs.

Nakomi headed back to town with the pictures Hades had taken, as evidence for Professor Jameson. Hades went off with Dr Fortune to drink alcohol.

I removed the eggs from the wounded man and placed some of them in a bucket filled with spare blood. Since Elric wasn’t here, I felt the need to improvise some science. It could only help us in future to learn a little bit more about the creatures this would spawn. They began to grow extremely quickly in to strange quadrupedal creatures with cricket-like back legs and humanoid heads.

We then heard some gunshots. Nakomi had returned and she had brought Professor Jameson, who was now stuck underneath his fallen horse on the outskirts of the dig site. He claimed to have been attacked by something and his horse was paralyzed. The horse had the same kind of injury as the wounded man from before. Nakomi put the beast out of it’s misery by smashing it’s skull in.

Then we set the horse on fire.

The single egg that I was science-ing had hatched. I killed it, as it had served it’s scientific purpose. Nakomi had heard some horror story about mythical beasts that paralyzed their victims and buried people alive. I wasn’t taking that much risk for science, I’m not Elric.

The dig site had also found a lot of old Navajo artifacts, one of which Nakomi felt drawn to – a strange bow that had a spirit inside. She took it.

We managed to smuggle the Professor inside the dig site, and he examined the skeletons. He thinks they are real, but it is a strangely perfect circumstance.

Raft spent the night with Kate Barlow, the leader of the Black River goons whilst the rest of us were busy investigating mythical beasts, and burning horses.

We decided the best thing to do was to investigate the mines for the source of the beasts.

Best? Eh, we decided it was a thing, that we were going to do.