Play@YSDC

Zara's eyes go wide and she backs up a couple of steps. "This isn't to do with those lights in the sky," she says (in the assumption that that's what they're interested in).

Emboldened by a mix of alcohol and caffeine, Tony isn’t about to let anyone rob them of their prize.

Ignoring the English-speaking fellow, he walks up to the one pointing the pistol. He stands directly in front of him, blocking his line of fire.

“No.” he says emphatically.

Lew looks at the Japanese men with irritation.

"Did you hear what the...skull...said? This is no keepsake to be set on a shelf and admired. There's a man's soul at stake." He finally realizes that there is a gun pointed in his direction. "What legal claim do you make to this? I'm an attorney at law and unless you show me some legal document showing you are entitled to this, I will assume that your actions are unlawful and unless you cease immediately, the authorities will be notified."

"I say, that's rather rude!" protests Liz. With Tony blocking the gunman's view, she slips out her mace and conceals it in the palm of her hand.

The bold way in which the investigators respond causes the gunman to curse eloquently and withdraw his weapon. The two men rush away quickly, and not much later the sound of an automobile, its tires squealing, comes from the nearest parking lot.

The skull, having apparently spoken its piece for the moment, loses the glow in its eye sockets and seems to be nothing more than an ordinary head bone. Just before doing so, however, it speaks a few final words in a weak, hollow voice.

"Killer went east, along the Saint John River. Follow."

Apparently, this refers to San Juan Creek, named for the Mission, which is almost entirely dry except during heavy rains. When empty of water, it is possible to hike within the small canyon it forms, with the proper equipment. How far one must travel to locate whatever is to be found there is difficult to say.

“Somewhat anticlimactic...” observes Tony as the Japanese drive away. “I was rather looking forward to a good scrap. Let’s us assume our oriental friends are hostile from now on, hm?”

After inspecting the creek, he turns to the others.

“May I suggest we sober up before we go hiking? It must be lunchtime surely?”

"Is it?" asks Liz. "I've lost track of time. Just as well it didn't come to a fight. My hands are so jittery, I doubt my aim would be true. I'm sober enough thanks to the coffee. I'm ready now, but some lunch wouldn't go amiss. Maybe we can get something to go?" It might just be the coffee talking, but she can't wait to get started.

With several choices for casual dining in this tourist town, the investigators are easily able to refresh themselves and wait for the effects of alcohol and caffeine to wear off. They also note a hiking supply store, Californians famous for their love of the outdoors. There's a map of San Juan Creek and other waterways (mostly dry) taped to the window of the place.

Suitably refreshed, Tony enters the supply store with a renewed spring in his step. Being a man of considerable means, he is happy to kit out himself and his chums with the sturdiest clothing and equipment available. He also procures a hiker’s map of the valley.

Zara thanks Tony for the hiking gear. She seems to find the idea of this expedition pretty groovy, even apart fro the prospect of getting rid of the Captain's ghost.

"Cheers!" says Liz. She picks out a pair of sturdy yet stylish hiking boots, a green sleeveless vest, a pair of brown short shorts, a backpack, a belt, a canteen, a knife with a sheath, a compass, a coil of rope, a flashlight, and a tinderbox. She also gets a shovel. If they're going to dig up a dead body, they're going to need one.

After a rather pleasant hike of about twelve miles in the moderately cool, dry climate of California in the late autumn, the party is ready for a rest stop. The place where Bell Creek, trickling merrily, nearly meets bone-dry Verdugo Canyon, seems like a nice location. The semi-desert environment supports a wide variety of wildlife. Lizards scurry here and there and hawks soar overhead.
Everyone but Tony gets the idea that, to quote Brigham Young, this must be the place. It's hard to explain; it just feels like they should explore one of the two waterways, one wet and one dry, that branch off here. One can't blame the fellow for not paying attention to vague psychic sensations. He's got something else distracting him.
It's the notorious brown recluse spider, infamous for the necrotic venom, which happens to have crawled up his boot and taken a bite.
Fortunately the bite is nothing more than irritating, but it does draw his attention away from the weird feeling that everyone else experiences.

"Ooh me leg!"

Hopping around on one foot does no favours for Tony's carefully manufactured 'great explorer' look.

Thankfully he soon realises that his leg is not about to swell up like a poisonous balloon and, fishing the mortal remains of the spider out of his boot, he notices that the others seem to have stopped to search.

WIS 11-3,[dice]0[/dice]

Alas, still somewhat muzzy-headed from the effects of the bite, he isn't much help.

Liz screams when she sees the spider and practically leaps into Tony's arms, even though it is dead. For some irrational reason, she is terrified of the things. The most frightening part of her ancestor's memoirs to her was the encounter with the gigantic spider. Even mighty Ivan, his servant, was scared to death of it, but he managed to overcome his fears and slay it. When she has a chance to calm down, she inspects Tony's leg. "Are you all right?" she asks. "Let me help you." Once she is sure that he is going to be okay, she begins to look around for the burial site, though very carefully in case there are more spiders.

OOC,Wisdom roll (10 - 3[Afraid of Spiders] + 1[Discover Secrets] + 3[Sharp Eyes] = 11) looking for where [b]William[/b] is buried: [dice]0[/dice]

Lew looks around for anything that stands out. He is distracted momentarily by Liz and Tony but continues his search.

OOC,Wisdom 10 [dice]0[/dice]

Tony is rather pleased to have Liz leap into his arm and despite his discombobulation, is in no hurry to let go. Consequently he rather enjoys her tender ministrations to his bitten leg.

“Ah, what would I do without you my dear? Spiders be damned eh?”

Zara giggles to herself, thinking Liz's fear is put on a bit. But otherwise she joins Lew in continuing to search.

Both Liz and Lew make discoveries while their companions find only a few cigarette butts and candy wrappers scattered here and there by those travelers who have little respect for the great outdoors.

In the dry canyon, Lew finds a very old, rusted, pitted iron sphere, about the size of a large marble. There are signs in the dirt that other, similar objects might be found further on, by walking up the canyon and examining the ground closely.

In the swiftly running creek, Liz observes a similarly time-rusted metal object, much larger than the sphere, and of a roughly elongated shape, whose exact nature is blurred by the flowing of the water, lying as it does a few inches below the surface. It would be necessary to reach into the water to retrieve it, in order to tell what it is.

Reluctantly relinquishing Liz’s company, Tony‘s interest is drawn to Lew and Zara’s findings.

“Hm, what have we here?”

Hefting his stick, he attempts to hook out the object in the stream.

DEX 14,[dice]0[/dice]

"Curious," says Liz, peering at the objects. "That little sphere might be a musket or pistol ball. That's what would have been used at the time. In the early nineteenth century, bullets didn't exist yet."