gorgenmast said
I think Earl could certainly qualify as a badass.

You're right. Still one out of four in a game that is highly conflict based, is too few. Don't get me wrong, these characters are excellent. Better than I hoped for. We just need one or two more with combat experience to round out the group and make it survivable. That GM bullshit rule cuts two ways. I can't use GM bullshit to fuck with the PCs, but I also can't use it to pull your asses out of the fire.

Temitope has worked on a farm for a good chunk of her life. I imagined her being pretty handy with a tool such as a scythe

Crya said
Temitope has worked on a farm for a good chunk of her life. I imagined her being pretty handy with a tool such as a scythe

This is what the confederate cavalry rides...



Trust me, we need another bad ass. This is okay. I want at least 5 PCs anyway.

Think of it like a mmo group. We have excellent support and long range DPS, we have a translator, a rogue, a marksmen and a healer, but we're missing that vital 'tank' niche.

That is a seriously badass bird. I want one.

Theoretically, would their necks hold the weight of a human?

So I may throw down a character here to balance things out. In order to keep him from being GM chaperone or unduly influencing the RP, I'm considering making him mute. Here is the WIP.

Slave Name: Clarence Smith
Name: Michael
Archetype: Runaway Field Slave
Race/Ethnicity: African American (unknown roots)
Appearance



Michael is tall and musclebound, a product of a life of backbreaking labor and resistance fighting and he bears the scars of both. His clothing varies based on what kind of slave he is trying to impersonate. Never without his chain, he often uses it to disguise himself as a shackled slave in order to get close to his targets without arousing suspicion. When not using it as a disguise he keeps it coiled tight around his arm or waist, often with a few links wrapped round his hand to serve as iron knuckles if the situation warrants. Michael usually shaves his head as he believes it is more befitting a warrior of God.

Background: Michael was born in bondage on a plantation in Northern Virginia. He never knew his parents as they were sold before he was four years of age. Raised by his Aunt, he grew up hard and strong under the hot sun, in cotton and tobacco fields. As a teenager he shifted to working in the smithy, mainly as a cold forger, striking iron and picked up the rudiments of the trade. Like many slaves he heard from his masters the words of the New Testament and Jesus Christ, praise for the meek and pity for the wicked, but they never rang true to him. How could turning the other cheek hope to free his people from an evil that did not know pity or remorse. Instead, like many Christianized slaves he turned instead to the words of the Old Testament, the fury of a righteous God and the hope of deliverance to a promise land. Then in 1864, all such hope seemed to go up in flames as word of the fall of New York and Confederate victory passed across everyone's lips. All hope was not lost however for there was talk amongst the slaves of a liberator, a woman who had freed hundreds singlehandedly, who continued to fight even in the face of overwhelming odds, and who was touched by the hand of the almighty himself receiving visions of that which had not yet come to pass. To the confederate authorities she was Harriet Tubman, the nations most wanted abolitionist and a leading figure of the Railsplitters. To the slaves she was the Oracle, a prophet of God sent to deliver his people. As word of her activities spread throughout the plantations, the Gentry grew nervous that her 'cult' could inspire a full fledged rebellion and they forbid the mentioning of even her name. Clarence, however, refused the order and would not forsake her. Part of him wanted the master to kill him because even he had started to doubt the benevolence of God, but his masters would never sacrifice so strong a specimen. Instead of whipping or maiming him as per the usual course, they cut out his tongue rendering him forever mute. It was at this time, at the deepest pit of his despair, that they came for him, the Railsplitters. They broke his chains, but he kept them, a symbolic weapon with which he would strike back at the oppressors of his people.

Through the late 1860's Clarence lived and worked as a soldier of the abolitionist movement. Now power forged by the cruel labor of plantation life was turned back against his masters. His weapon of choice, the chain, allowed him to easily pose as a shackled slave while remaining armed, a trick used countless times to slip into plantations to free others. Soon after his joining the resistance, the Oracle confessed to him that she'd seen his plight in a vision and it was on her order that the railsplitters came to emancipate him. It was Harriet who renamed Clarence, Michael, after the angelic protector of the Hebrews. By the early 1870s as the resistance has begun to weaken, Michael has become Tubman's strong right arm, often dispatched to chapters in the most immediate need. In 1874, her visions of the raid on the Philadelphia chapter came to late to save Fredrick Douglas, the Father of the movement. When she receives another vision of the statue of Lee and a rattling viper coiled about it, she interprets this as a warning that her brothers and sisters in Richmond might share the same fate. It is at this point that she sends Michael to their aid.

Skills: Brawling, Chain fighting, Acting (Body language), Urban survival, Smithing (basic knowledge, enough to forge simple iron tools and links)

Talent: Michael's talent with a chain is legendary and at close range he is a terror to behold.

Flaw: Michael is completely mute due to his mutilation as a teenager at the hands of his masters. He communicates through signs, body and eye language.

Motivation: Michael believes himself to be a protector of his people and, since he was chosen by the Oracle who he believes to be an emissary of God, he sees himself as being, at least indirectly, chosen by God as well. Although hate motivated him in the early years, he has grown past that and enters danger with an almost surgical control and stoicism. He does not hate the Gentry, but he will kill them without a moment's hesitation if they stand in the way of his divine mission.

redPANDA said
That is a seriously badass bird. I want one.Theoretically, would their necks hold the weight of a human?

The saddle would be harnessed in such a way to keep weight off the neck. I doubt you could ride them bareback which is why it may have never caught on with the Aztecs. Also the Spanish have been breeding them as mounts since the 1500s so the ones used by people would be of a sturdier frame than the wild variety.

@All So it's unfair for me to accept my own character. Please take a look at it and tell me what you think. There is also some important information in there about the Railsplitters. For those who don't know Harriet Tubman is a real figure. She really did free hundreds of slaves and she really did have visions which were either sent from God or the result of epilepsy and being beaten horribly as a child, take your pick. In the story, she is one of the leaders of the resistance, its mother you might say and she is often referred to as the Oracle or the Prophet by religious members of the movement.

Very much a work in progress, but I thought I ought to at least post what I have so far. I should be done with the bio sometime tomorrow.

Name: Sir William Hastings

Archetype: Intellectual/Former soldier

Race/Ethnicity: White (English)



Background: WIP

Skills: Highly literate and multilingual, and has the rather useful ability to end up in places he is not exactly supposed to be. Capable of boldness and derring-do.

Talent: The Bavarian Fire drill
(I honestly couldn't think of a better way to phrase this talent than to link to TVTropes. He is, essentially, rather good at bluffing his way out of awkward questions regarding his activities by touting his status as a man of letters. Not to mention making up all manner of other applicable nonsense, sometimes on the spot.)

Flaw: Impetuousness, sometimes carrying 'bravery' to the verge of 'suicidal tendencies.' Additionally, though not properly a madman, he is utterly obsessed with the dark forces he is certain are at work in the World, and will go on about the subject at length to almost anyone who will listen.

Motivation: Hastings strongly suspects an occult connection with the Confederate victory over the United States, and is convinced that such a connection would be both diabolical and dangerous to the World at large. He is also a staunch abolitionist.

@Illogical Jim Looks pretty good so far. Try to narrow the archetype a little, if you can. If not no bigee. Also it would really help party balance if you emphasized the soldier in his background. We are kind of hurting for combat veterans at this point which could be a problem considering the extreme hostility of the setting.

Too Old 4 This said
@All So it's unfair for me to accept my own character. Please take a look at it and tell me what you think.

I like the idea of him being mute! Adds a whole new dimension to the character.

So, you need a badass to round out this pretty little group? I hate playing stereotypically, "combat," oriented characters, but given the circumstances and my sheer love and adoration for your setting...



Name: James Butler, "Wild Bill," Hickok.
Archetype: Gunslinger.
Race/Ethnicity: Anglo-Saxon.
Religion/Culture:
Appearance:

Background:

Skills:
Talent: (What your character is best at. In game terms you will only rarely fail doing this thing. Can not be 'Being Awesome' )
Flaw: (This is what the GM uses to fuck with you )
Motivation: (Why do you fight?)

----- ----- -----

If this concept piques your interest let me know via PM, and I'll work out a historical fiction cannon with you.

(Confession: ever since watching Deadwood I've always wanted to roleplay as Wild Bill. Never thought it'd happen, but hey, sometimes life surprises you.)

I think Michael looks good. Also I'd be more than willing to make a Combat oriented character. As he's my second character he or Temitope could die, which could increase the tension.

@Psycho I'll allow it, but you'll have to work on his backstory to make it convincing. He was a Union spy so you have that to work with. If you want an easier route you could always go with Wyatt who was a Marshal and a well known republican making him an almost sure bet to be associated with the resistance. But, I understand if you just want to play as Bill, and I'm cool with that.

And yes Deadwood rocked. A pox on the executive who canceled that masterpiece. May he rot in the same hell that consumes the one who canceled Firefly.

@Crya I think we have it covered at this point.

redPANDA said
I like the idea of him being mute! Adds a whole new dimension to the character.

Well yes, but to be perfectly honest the main reason I chose that is to keep him as a background character and prevent me from participating to much in group planning as I want that to be largely left to PCs. Also this allows me to play the whole 'warrior of god' character without needing to constantly google fitting Old Testament lines to quote XD

@All I will be putting up the intro posts as teasers to get people ready for the game, but let's let the last couple folks get their character's ready before we start in earnest.

As in Deputy Marshal Earp of O.K. Corral fame? Well, to the best of my knowledge he was a fugitive himself in 74', working a prostitution ring with his brother out of Peoria, later in his career to use the alibi of having been hunting buffalo between 71' and 75', and hadn't yet been deputized as a US Marshal, though it would certainly explain his happening to have connections in and out of the Confederacy to free Canada. I like Bill better for the role myself, because he was not only a legend at the time unlike Wyatt Earp who became famous after the O.K. Corral, but someone few truly knew. The guy was an actor more than anything else at the end, who dressed dandily when socializing with the aristocracy who so loved the legend, dressed in the skins of a mountain man when putting on shows with Buffalo Bill, which is what he was doing in 74, mostly to get enough money together to drown his problems in a bottle and play poker, who held a deep appreciation for the culture of the Cheyenne whilst harboring an illogical grudge bordering on jingoism towards them, fought as an enlisted scout alongside the 10th Cavalry (an otherwise segregated black regiment) despite having better offers at the time, hated those who sought to hold authority over him, and always rooted for the underdog. Doesn't hurt that his father was an abolitionist who worked the underground railroad, and James himself fought originally for the Kansas Free State Army, General Lane's famed Jayhawkers.

Wild Bill had his faults, grievous ones, perhaps. He would get drunk, gamble, and indulge in the general licentiousness characteristic of the border in the early days, yet even when full of the vile libel of the name of whiskey which was dealt over the bars at exorbitant prices, he was gentle as a child, unless aroused to anger by intended insults. He was loyal in his friendship, generous to a fault, and invariably espoused the cause of the weaker against the stronger one in a quarrel. ~ Captain Jack Crawford

EDIT:

I am writing the modified background of James Hickok now, and will be operating under this historical fiction timeline. If you have any questions, concerns or simply dislike anything I've listed here let me know, and I'll immediately edit accordingly:

---: May 27, 1837; James Butler Hickok, born in Troy Grove, formerly Homer, Illinois, US, to William and Polly (Butler) Hickok.

---: 1849; James has his first experience under fire whilst transporting escaped slaves by wagon across the Mississippi from St. Louis back home to Madison County.

---: 1851; William Hickok is killed just West of the Mississippi, in Missouri, by St. Louis lawmen while, "stealing," Southern plantation owners property, slaves.

---: 1854: Takes a job in Utica, Illinois, as a wagon driver on the Illinois and Michigan Canal.

---: 1855; After a confrontation over the treatment of his horse team, kills his employer, Charles Hudson, by drowning him in a river, and flees the state to Leavenworth, Kansas. Fearing legal retribution for the murder begins going by the name William Hickok.

---: 1856; Joins General Lane's Free State Army, the Jayhawkers, as an irregular militiaman.

---: 1858; General Lane begins grooming James for leadership in his, "New," Kansas.

---: 1861; Kansas is admitted to the Union as a Free State. The McCanles Shootout marks the first time James kills a man in a gunfight. The Civil War begins, and at Lane's insistence, "Wild Bill," Hickok signs on as a civilian Wagon Master for the Union Army out of Sedalia.

---: September, 1862; Hickok is discharged for reasons undisclosed, and disappears for a year until resurfacing in late 1863.

---: 1863; James takes up employment as a deputy of the Provost Marshall in union held Springfield, Missouri.

---: 1864; The first recorded instance of what would become a Western staple for the next decade takes place, as Wild Bill Hickok kills Dave Tutt in a quickdraw standoff. Surrenders the town of Springfield to the encroaching Confederate forces in light of the Union withdrawal.

--- 1867; Having previously been deputized as a US Marshall, transfers to Hays City, and acts as city marshal, several of his most gunfights occurring at this time. Is contacted by Rail Splitter agents, and begins secreting escaped slaves North through Kansas to what remains of free Canada.

--- 1871; James serves as city marshal of Abilene, Kansas.

--- 1873; Wild Bill Hickok joins Buffalo Bill’s show Scouts of the Plains.

--- 1874; James leaves the show after his final stage performance in Richmond, Virginia, his health failing, ready for one last job. The assassination of President Jackson.

@psychopathkids This looks pretty good. I need to make sure you realize that the Marshals are no longer an official arm of the Confederate States government in the timeline. They exist but have essentially become a vigilante group in the post war world. They are classified as rebels by the CSA ironically.

My big concern is your character entering with this huge overarching purpose of assassinating the President which could be the plotline of an entire game in and of itself. The Railsplitters are not, by nature, assassins. They are focused on freeing slaves. Don't get me wrong, they'll kill if they have to, but they do not set out with this purpose generally. You have to remember that they are the descendants of the 1860-50s abolitionist movement which was dominated by religious idealsim, specifically the Quakers. Most, I think, would also argue that killing the President would in no way serve the cause. It would not topple the government and instead would incite a crackdown which would fall most heavily on slaves and make freeing them even more difficult.

All that being said, your character can of course have this goal. He just needs to be smart enough to keep it to himself. The Railsplitters are not going to welcome a gloryhound with a deathwish, especially after what happened in Philly.

In order to avoid loosing steam, I'll be declaring game-on soon. If you don't get your character finished by then, that is fine. I'm open to people joining at any time and in fact it's rare in any story for every important character to be plopped down in the first few pages.

My steam isn't lost, I'm just waiting. I'm at that point where I don't really care about the 15 page essay I have due in 12 days that I haven't started yet, so I can still be into this.

OK game on. Starting posts can be almost anywhere that makes sense for your character, but let's try to get as many people in the Richmond chapter or heading in that direction as possible. People who are not finished with characters yet, don't worry, I'm fine with PCs entering at any point. It's actually better if not all characters enter at once.