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Dead Man's Hand
Encyclopædia 0.3

Characters

Jed Lawson: A gambling man. He played poker against the Stranger, hoping to win the most valuable thing on Earth. He insisted on using his own cards. He drew an ace of hearts, an 8 of diamonds, an 8 of hearts, an ace of spades, and a 3 of clubs. This was nearly a "dead man's hand," except for the suits of the cards. He won the game, and the Stranger did not give him the Lament Configuration.

The Stranger: Guardian of the Lament Configuration. It challenged Jed Lawson to a game of "straight poker. One hand, face up." If it won, it would get everything Jed owned. If Jed won, it would give him the most valuable thing on Earth. It placed the Lament Configuration on the table as it played. It drew a 9 of spades, a 6 of spades, an 8 of spaces, a 10 of spades, and a 6 of hearts. It lost the game, and left town with the Lament Configuration.

Locations

Carver's Creek's Saloon: Watering hole for "a pretty fast-livin' bunch." The Stranger gambled with Jed here.

Things

Lament Configuration: The Stranger's ante in its poker games. As the game with Jed progressed, the Lament Configuration began to open. An observer of the game "swears she could see inside that box th' stranger brought. Says all kinds o' ungodly creatures was waitin' in there." When Jed won the game, the Stranger closed it and left town with it.

The Stranger's Poker Game: "Straight poker. One hand, face up." If the Stranger wins, it gets everything the player owns. If the player wins, the Stranger will give him the most valuable thing on earth. The most valuable thing on Earth is not owning the Lament Configuration. Some players end up ruined for life by this game, others just disappear.

Timeline

1876 Aug 2 The Stranger plays poker with Jed Lawson.

References

Clive Barker's Hellraiser, Book 1: "Dead Man's Hand" by Sholly Fisch, Dan Spiegle, Carrie Spiegle & Sherilyn Van Valkenburgh