The Prairie Ridge Manifest
A stagecoach carrying Union Pacific bonds is found abandoned at a remote relay station. Its passenger manifest is missing. Frontier individuals with personal secrets must navigate the scene and the conflicting accounts left behind.
Initial Crime Scene
The thick, hand-rolled cigarette ash scent hits you first, distinct against the dry air. A single wheel creaks in the silence. The stagecoach sits in sun-bleached dust, its paint flaked to gray. The freight compartment door hangs open, revealing a scratched and bent brass hasp. Glinting alkali dust coats every surface.
Crime Scene Environment
Lighting is stark and sun-bleached, casting long, sharp shadows. The air is dry and carries a fine, alkali dust with low humidity. Acoustic density is sparse, dominated by wind, creaking wood, and distant animal sounds.
Investigation Constraints
The year is 1887. Technology is limited to mechanical devices: padlocks with brass tumblers, wind-up pocket watches, single-action revolvers, telegraph machines for long-distance communication, handwritten ledgers, and basic mechanical traps. There are no electrical grids, electronic surveillance, or digital systems. Communication is by horse, telegraph, or written letter.
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