Initial Plot Concept
A bandit attack strikes a small
town, but the Sheriff's disbelief in the legitimacy of the attack leaves the
Townsfolk unprepared and vulnerable. The town is overwhelmed and all supplies
and valuables in the town are either stolen or destroyed.
The Sheriff, under the orders of
the furious Townsfolk, is stricken of his badge and exiled to the darker side
of town, where crime and corruption are rife, not to mention escalated poverty
and minute income. During the town's period of recovery, a Merchant swings by in
an elaborate and ornately decorated
wagon. The Merchant is offering the Townsfolk a cure-all for any
ailments and illness that they may be afflicted with. Conveniently, just days
after the attack. The cure-all is sold under the name "Miracle Snake Oil".
The attack left the Townsfolk with no medical supplies or any other means of
healing their wounds and curing their sick. Believing that the Oil truly is a
miracle, they gather up all their remaining funds and queue up day after day,
to buy Oil from the Merchant.
After a month of consistent,
repeated consumption of the Oil, the Townsfolk notice that, contrary to the
claims of the Merchant, many of them are in fact, becoming more and more
unwell.
A young Professor of Medicine is
staying in a town nearby, where he catches word of the mysterious illness in a
town over. Curious, he visits the town in order to see if he can catch a break
and make anything of the mystery.
The Professor's investigation
begins in the slums of the town, where he happens upon the washed up Sheriff,
pining over his former career. The Sheriff has done some investigating of his
own during his time in the slums, and brings to the Professor an interesting
observation; Why is it that in the more wealthy part of town, sickness is
rampant and yet, in the considerably more deprived and typically, disease
ridden slums, the inhabitants are, for the first time, at an all time high in
regards to their health?
The Sheriff and the Professor
realise that there is a distinct correlation between the Oil and the wealthier
townsfolk. The wealthier Townsfolk are the ones that are more paranoid about
their wellbeing, and more importantly, can afford to buy copious amounts of the
Merchant's Oil. The poorer townsfolk, on the other hand, cannot afford it and
therefore, their contact with it is significantly reduced.
The Professor takes a sample of
the Oil for analysis and discovers that the Oil is not so much a cure-all as a
kill-all. The Oil is a deadly poison at takes effect over an extended period of
town, as to lower any immediate suspicion towards the vendor.
The Sheriff and the Professor
reveal the Merchant's deadly secret to the rest of the Townsfolk, but given the
Sheriff's reputation, they are unconvinced. The Merchant continues to sell his
wares through the week, until suddenly, his true self begins to show through
his facade.
During a demonstration, the
Merchant, completely unawares and unintentionally, begins to shed his skin.
Quite literally. The Merchant's true identity is revealed to the town.
The Merchant is revealed to be
land baron working with the same bandits that attacked the town almost a month
prior. He has been gradually poisoning the town in order to clear all
inhabitants and poach the land, gaining access to an oil well underneath and consequently,
gaining a considerable amount of money.
The Merchant flees town, with the
former Sheriff in pursuit close behind. Meanwhile, the Professor attempts to
formulate an antidote that can be distributed to the Townsfolk and legitimately
cure the town.
