From The Cradle

Spoilers ahead!*This article contains spoilers for **From The Cradle**. Be warned!*

## From The Cradle

### Characters

Friedrich Furdassky, Hope Puckett, Marcus G. Fairmont, Mother Hardy, William H. Daft

### Series

Red DREAD Redemption

**From The Cradle** is the second and final episode of the Red DREAD Redemption roleplay series.

**Since these episodes have an overarching narrative structure, the episode guides contain major and minor spoilers.**

"*There is something out there in the darkness - something... I do not know what, but it's coming after me.*"
―Marcus G. Fairmont
## Scenario

Our players are travelling across the US on a luxury train. They have made a short stop at a trading post.

## Characters

Tom is the Games Master.

* Marcus G. Fairmont (Adam) – an undertaker from Calloway, West Virginia. He's experimenting with some unconventional procedures, with unfortunate results already. He has a problem with alcohol.
* William H Daft (Sullivan) is a politician, from Little Dick Alabama. He's self-serving, uncomprehending and untrustworthy.
* Hope Puckett (Holly) is from the Southern US. She seems to have depths well-hidden and a complicated past.
* Friedrich Furdassky (Laurie) is German. He is over-excited by the potential adventures of the West, with seemingly no real appreciation for the dangers. He is very attached to his silly cowboy hat. He has a secret guilt from his childhood.
* (Agnes Margaret) Mother Hardy (Tilly) is an older lady. She is clearly religiously observant, but she's hiding a significant and guilty secret.

### NPC

* Pierre the train attendant.
* Quentin Stone, recently killed in a shocking fight and preserved by Marcus G. Fairmont.
* Robert Boyle the barman, serving drinks and wisdom.
* Cora Love, a woman with jet black hair and ruby red lips.
* Father Benito Bacardo, a priest whose faith is no longer certain.
* Jacob Glenns, a 7ft tall man, huge and broad-shouldered, once believed dead.
* Wild Bill Hiccup - a small, almost child-like figure, emitting a high pitched giggle. Dressed in a dark hat and dark coat, with a mass of red hair.
* The Ticket Collector - tall and broad shouldered. Dressed in a fine suit and a cap which conceals his face.

## Notable moments

* This episode is so dramatic, atmospheric and moving that it's difficult to describe effectively. It's an NRB masterpiece: tense, evocative, exciting.
* Adam has literally just worked out the pun in Laurie's character name. That was our cue for a little song, at least.
* We begin with the stunning opening titles and a brief recap, with a brief vignette of our characters before they boarded the train. Then we're straight back into the scene we left in the graveyard.
* Marcus runs for the church - it's our first pull of the chapter and we see again how unstable the tower already is. It's genuinely tense and Tom's masterful management of the story elements makes a huge contribution to it. The casts' shrieks at Laurie's testing the tower don't help either.
* Marcus burst into the church and demands the gun from Hope. After an argument, she releases it, he storms back out and fires at the apparition's head. Having dispatched the monster, he heads back in to 'talk' to Taft.
* In the church, the priest and Mother Hardy are still talking regret, hidden sins and destinations. Father Bacardo: "Maybe there was a time I could offer you something comforting - ah, my dear Mrs. Hardy, there will be no comfort for you. God be with you". Mother Hardy: "Well, if God is so unforgiving, we were never going to get along anyway". Genuine shivers. Holy crap, this is good.
* Hope and Friedrich take a look at the body - he's suddenly excited at his glimpse of the real West and possible recognition of the man. Friedrich has his own secrets - but he thinks Marcus killed the man, not only today. Hope sets the body on fire.
* Everybody's hands are shaking when they pull now. Laurie: "Calm the fuck down, everybody!" He's right - it's *their* reactions which seem the most nerve-wracking for him.
* The train whistle summons the passengers back.
* Marcus is blinded by panic, rage and betrayal and hits Taft in the face with his empty flask. Marcus: "What's it going to be, Mr. President? Face the electorate, Mr. President! Answer the hard questions, Mr. President!"
* Sullivan: "This is the worst pain he's ever felt, in his life". Apparently Taft has a new enemy. Adam: "If you're doubling down, I'm going to hit you again!"
* Marcus: "I can tell a cheap drunk! My father was a cheap drunk! And I am not my father! I will grant you the opportunity to apologise for betraying me ... or we will continue our confrontation!" Taft's not backing down. He's going to give Marcus a really boring Cabinet job when he becomes President. Marcus says Taft will never be President. Even here, even now... Adam and Sullivan are boyfriends.
* Holly chooses ignorance for Hope, over the risk of a pull.
* Back on the train, Hope, Friedrich and Taft go to the bar. Mother Hardy looks for somewhere quiet. Marcus heads back to the carriage where they started their journey.
* Friedrich sits with Cora. After a chat they go off together. In another carriage, Cora turns on him and pulls a gun.
* Taft sees a small figure out of the corner of his eye. He follows it to another carriage. It's Wilhelmina William Boot aka William the Wild aka Wild Bill Hiccup. Taft called them William the Child in the press and borrowed $5000 - he's been dodging them ever since. Daft says Marcus has the money. There's a confrontation (during which Tom is arguably doing an impression of a slightly scarier Brooke) with a knife, but Taft breaks free and heads for Marcus.
* Mother Hardy is reading her Bible. Checking the reference the priest quoted to her, seems to move her from anger to something less defined. Pierre checks on her and agrees to bring her some food. She's questioning what's going on with the train and its destination.
* Marcus checks Quentin's body, but sees no incision. He's pretty much losing his mind at this point - he stabs the body in the chest with a scalpel.
* Back in the bar, Hope tells Bobby she didn't find anything of his but eventually confesses. He gives her tequila - there's something in the bottle. She downs the tequila - it's a key. Time to open the box?
* Laurie really doesn't want to pull again: [To Tom]"Don't come over here! Stay with the spooky box!"
* Cora throws a gun to Friedrich - he tells her his secret. She taunts him: "Tell me how it feels with the Red Queen bearing down on you!" He aims and fires.
* Daft appears at the back of the train - Marcus has lost what little sanity he had left. As they fight, Quentin's corpse rises. Tensions are very high - and the tower is in a shocking state.
* Captain Hubris has joined us at the table. That will help.
* Bobby talks to both Hope and Mother Hardy about their loved ones who have passed through the train recently. Hope says she doesn't need to open the box, but she wants to.
* The silence is deafening. It's genuinely tense and moving.
* Holly explains the significance of the card Hope finds in the box.
* Friedrich hit Cora, but she's not dead. He tells her that he never bothered to finish *Alice in Wonderland* - he doesn't like the bit where Alice wakes up and leaves Wonderland. He leaves.
* At the back of the train, chaos rains. Adam and Sullivan shout updates at one another for a while, sometimes in character.
* Marcus is stabbing Quentin: "Alright - let's kill this guy twice!"
* The pulls are dramatic - Adam is really testing everyone's nerves. It's truly shocking. Adam looks like he might be hyperventilating, himself.
* Bill's arrived. "Now which one of you two boyfriends has got my money?" Let's not forget that this is Wild Bill, not Brooke. Everybody remember that?
* The fight is out of control - Marcus is just going to throw the nitroglycerine and hope for the best.
* Holly: "How are you doing this? You're being so rude to the tower!"
* Back in the bar for a welcome pause - Hope offers to read the Tarot for Mother Hardy, to pass the time while they wait.
* More extraordinary pulls. Sullivan: "How? How's he getting away with this?" and we have an unexpected *Breaking Bad* moment.
* The end isn't hugely surprising although it's both shocking and disturbing. Adam: "Oh Icarus..."
* For Marcus, there's pain, followed by no more - Pierre tells him the conductor is coming to check his ticket.
* Teri (Hi Teri!) brings an hourglass - Adam has till the sand runs out, to finish whatever he wants to, with Marcus.
* It's a truly moving speech. Everyone's gripped - Tom more than anyone.
* In universe, the room gets hot and the Ticket Collector comes to take Marcus away.
* We go back to the morning before the journey began.
	+ Marcus is drunk and collapses alone in the wilds.
	+ Friedrich is shot accidentally in a case of mistaken identity.
	+ Daft is bitten by a snake while spying jealously on his neighbour's party.
	+ Hope has previously been injured or bitten by something and succumbs to the infection.
	+ Mother Hardy dies of natural causes.
* Pierre has our final word: "Well, let's get on with it, shall we?"
* Although.... Sullivan kills the tension right at the end. God bless him, but gaaaaaaah! I kind of wish he hadn't.

## Trivia

* Beautiful end credits and title cards again.

### Wrestling references

* Further references to 21 and 0, and to the end of the streak. This is a reference to The Undertaker's series of 21 straight wins at Wrestlemania.