April 12, 1954

Topher - Wilfred Van Metre - Peddler

Oz - Big Ron - Moonshiner

Jason - Huang Wai Lo - Gouger

Social gathering pending: Liver mush eating contests, gouger pit,face painting, prized pigs, petting zoo, everyone dressed well.

Light mood, festive.

Big Ron tries to spike the punch bowl with his special sauce, but gets caught. Miss Quarles takes a sip and staggers off. Wilfred sets up his stall, trying to sell knick knacks. Mr. Littlejohn comes up with his son, Wilfred sells him a wind-up car. Huang is looking for a fight. Someone thrown out of the pit, announcer (Odell Cole) calls for a challenger for Big Grudge. Huang is much smaller than Grudge, but confidently walks up to Odell. Fight starts, Grudge attacks, Huang tries to throw him out of the pit. Succeeds, throwing him into three spectators.

Man approaches and gives Huang $20 in scrip along with the prize money. Wilfred has sold half his inventory, making $40 in scrip, but ten additional dollar bills that are counterfeit. Drunk people buying weird stuff. Girl comes over, summoning him to the tent. Wilfred locks things down and goes. Big Ron is a hit. Deacon Red and Hoyt Acuff, other moonshiners, want to know why Ron’s stuff is so popular. Hoyt threatens to “find out” what he’s done, but summons him to the tent…

In the tent a a woman, late 50s, jumpy, shows us to have a seat. Imogne McGuire, resistance leader to the big boys. Fancy rifle on the side of the tent. Two large men appear, secure the tent, then stand guard. Tells us there’s a “mess of trouble” and are stopping any resistance to company policy with a disproportionate response. Three other leaders in the Holler who might be persuaded to help.

1. Hayes Thacker - near Lake Monroe - ad hoc leader, spending time trying to clean up coal ponds full of slurry. Polluted drinking water making people sick. Spending all his time.
2. Delilah Crump - near Gulch Slide - hit-and-run attacks, but suffering losses because they’re out equipped.
3. Harley Nutter - in Hogback Hills - plagued with something killing livestock and people. Too scared to do anything.

Party heads to Hogback Hills in Wilfred’s jalopy. Dilapidated house. Man with buzzed hair, overalls, and a shotgun comes out to greet us. Introduce ourselves, then he explains animals get spooked at night, then a screech, and in the morning he finds a single dead cow in the middle of the livestock. Last week his neighbor’s chickens had disappeared, nothing but feathers. Ron gives him a drink, tries to get a feel for what he’s thinking. Thinks it’s just some evil creature that wants nothing more than to kill. Shows us evidence of a giant stag–9-foot tall, with scorched earth at hooves. Hornhead - demon in stag form. Particularly susceptible to cold iron weapons, and wood from an elven grove - Faefall. Wilfred has a small bolt of spider silk picked up from someone exploring local caves. Very strong silk (elven?)  Wilfred gives Ron some hot sauce to “enhance” some moonshine.

Ron tracks, thinks he’s close to the Hornhead. Dusk hits quickly. Ron scared, hearing voice telling him to give in. Huang pummels it for a ton of damage. Wilfred taunts it, giving Huang a free attack. Hornhead charges Wilfred. Wilfred runs, then turns to run back to Huang, before diving into a bush. Huang bashes him again, battering him badly. Ron blasts a hole in Hornhead’s head. Antlers extinguish, and the body dessicates, revealing a decrepit stag. Collect essence of Hornhead, which Ron uses for a new concoction. Show the antlers to Nutter and he’s relieved. Hogback Hills celebrates. Nutter thanks us. Remind him of his obligation to Miss Imogene.  “Granny” (young 20-ish woman) heals Ron.

Head to Lake Monroe to meet Hayes. Lake Monroe flood had killed 100 people, but now the people remaining are poisoned by polluted water. Hayes is a bald Black man with a limp. Holds a cigar, scarred face, and a penetrating stare through yellow-gold eyes. Working on a motorboat. Introduce ourselves, Wilfred notices red dots on everyone. Everyone dives as an ambush starts from Holt-Kramer agents. Guns jam. Four agents. Huang throat punches one, Ron grenades two into the pond. Wilfred backstabs one. Last man standing runs for the car, but Huang one-twos him to death.

Thacker’s wife calls for help, but the party cannot heal him, until Wilfred shames him back to life. Petunia cares for him. Ron burns off the slurry with Everclear, while Wilfred runs the Holt-Kramer car into the pump station with the dead bodies, causing a huge explosion due to the havoc brew from Ron..

Return to Hayes, explain what happened, and Petunia agrees to help Imogene when the time comes.