Blood in the Mountains
The year is 1855. The California gold rush is in full swing, with the Oregon Trail serving as the main route of transit without a transcontinental railroad. However, the Wind River Range further North is seldom traveled by emigrants. Here, small bands of prospectors and the businessmen who feed off of them try to survive the harsh climate long enough to get rich or die trying. It is in (and around) a small town here, Kirwin, that our story takes place. The town (population ~100) lies in land where the Arapahoe still roam, their peace with the town is a fragile one. What's more, with the great influx of settlers inevitably come bandits, and shipments of supplies have been known to go missing.
The anticipation of another harsh winter has had many of the townsfolk edgy. A short summer, combined with a drought, has left most with only just enough to survive the onset of Old Man Winter's bitter breath. To make matters worse, the town's miners are apparently abandoning the town one by one, in the middle of the night.
