Alias - N/A

Age - 22

Gender - Male

Occupation - Deputy of Soursprings

Appearance - Clayton is a lean, clean shaven man. His brown hair is cut short and combed to one side. He appears younger than he actually is, often getting mistaken for a teenager. He's in decent shape with hints of muscles along his frame.

Height - 5'11 (180.34 cms)

Weight - 148 pounds

Apparel - Clayton typically wears a longsleeved white collared shirt, over that he wears a black vest. On colder days he'll wear a tan colored jacket. On the lower part of his body he wears black slacks and dark brown boots. To top it all off he often wears a dark brown cowboy hat which used to be his grandfather's.

Weaponry - Clayton carries a Model 1875 revolver, holstered on his hip. On his back is a sling for his Model 1873 lever action rifle. As a last ditch defense he carries a hunting knife on his belt.

Equipment - Clayton carries a leather two liter canteen of water, an old compass, a leather wallet with some money and a few scraps of cooked meat. He also has a dark grey horse named Archie.

Skills -

• Clayton is a trained, talented shot with rifles and revolvers.
• He's a decent hand to hand combatant, while not anything extraordinary he has been in fights in the past and can hold his own.
• Clayton is pretty agile and quick, he can run for a decent period of time without getting exhausted.

Flaws -

• Clayton is very weary of outsiders to Soursprings, he's spent his entire life in the town and has seen visitors to it cause trouble before. It's hard for him to trust anyone not from his hometown.
• He doesn't know much of life outside of Soursprings, only has heard tales of it, some that frighten him.
• He's never killed a person before, or even shot one with intent to kill.
• His strong sense of justice and righteousness can get in the way, if he sees something that offends this sense then it is very hard for him to ignore it.

Personality - Clayton Beck embodies his father in many regards, who is the sheriff of Soursprings. He has a strong moral compass, often doing what he sees as right. He's very loyal to friends and family as well as the people of his town. He'll do almost anything to protect those close to him. He's naturally friendly to others and is well mannered. To strangers he appears shy and watchful, careful to make a good first impression and ensure they do the same for him.

He despises people that rob, steal, murder and commit other terrible crimes. 'Outlaws' are a type of people that he wholly disagrees with and will try his damned best to bring to justice. He hasn't really set foot outside of Soursprings, outside of a few hunting trips into the wilderness, he doesn't really know the world outside of his little town. He tries not to speak much of the 'outside world', often turning into a listener if the conversation goes in that direction.

Backstory - Clayton was born in the town of Soursprings, his family having routes in the place, with a supposed hand in its creation. He was named after his great grandfather who fought in the Revolutionary War. He was born to a small family, having one sister, Ethel, five years his junior. His mother died when he was eight, leaving his father William as his sole caretaker. The young Clayton has to take a more active way in keeping the household together, having to care for his sister when his father was away.

His early life was pretty quiet in Soursprings, there was not a lot to do other than working. There was a small school in the town which he went to for a few years, after that he got a job working on a farm near town. It was hard, laborious work that didn’t pay very much but his father encouraged. it He was also taught how to use guns during this time, occasionally going on hunting trips. It was during this time that William became the town sheriff after the previous one died. It was an easy job for the most part, there wasn’t very much crime other than the occasional brawl or drunkards misbehaving.

He began to raise his son to one day take the job from him, making him a deputy at the age of sixteen. William tried his best to instill good values in Clayton which reflected in the job. For the most part it was easy going for Clayton, the people knew him and respected him, the only trouble he ever encountered was with outsiders. One notable incident involving him on the receiving end of some punches after he had to break up a fight which sprawled into the streets. Those in the brawl were ordered out of Soursprings. Clayton has kept quiet since then as he’s watched people enter and leave Soursprings.

Alias - The Magpie, The Dynamite Dancer.

Age - 33

Gender - Male

Occupation - Saloon Owner

Appearance -


A normally built man, Joshua has an almost completely faded scar from his left ear to the left corner of his mouth, apart from that the picture sums him up well, just tone down the moustache and add a bit more hair on his head. His trousers are a clean navy blue and he normally wears rather clean and fancy shoes.

Height - Six foot one.

Weight - Twelve stone.

Apparel - The picture sums it up, just replace the apron with a clean navy blue duster coat that is a little too big for him whenever he goes out.

Weaponry - One Colt Walker and a Burnside Carbine.

Equipment - A horse drawn wagon, one hip flask normally filled with a whiskey of some sort, a dowsing stick, two one-litre canteens of water, a wallet with the equivalent of fifty quid in it, normally the odd stick of dynamite on him and camping equipment on the wagon for three people.

Skills - A decent shot with only his Colt Walker and Burnside Carbine, a talented barroom brawler, expert in explosives and a decent cook.

Flaws - Bit too accepting of strangers, sometimes hard to understand with his odd blend of a Texan and British Northern accent, he cannot speak any other language but English, quite stubborn and not too fond of any government official above the sheriffs. He also averagely strong, not the most agile of people either.

Personality - He is incredibly intolerant of innocent people being put in danger and of guns being used indoors. Joshua has a very strong connection with his family's rules: No one uses a gun indoors and no one harms innocent people when he's around. However he is tolerant of newcomers making a show of dominance and good gestures to help, always willing to help the odd local of Soursprings with advice, shelter or a good drink.

Being well versed in travelling large areas of the world excluding America Joshua tends to tell newer patrons of his global travels, of the sights he has seen with a smug smile and a lot of time to spare. He tends to jot down rumors off passing patrons, spreading a few to the next patron on the way, he normally gives discounts if he hears good tales and stories. Or in exchange for interesting trinkets he will gladly accept them as substitutes to paying with money.

Backstory - Mister Darwall is from a family of pub owners in Liverpool, his kind and reasonably generous family taught him personally everything he knew, from his formal education to how to run a drinking establishment. Their family pub was failing but there was a new opportunity in the brewing industry, after his family decided to take the opportunity Joshua decided to set off to find somewhere new to settle at the age of 23, wanting to run and own a drinking establishment, not file paperwork for the rest of his life for an infinitely more dull brewery.

After ten years of searching a large chunk the world for a suitable home Joshua settled on Soursprings, taking over the saloon formerly known as the Dry Drinks he decided to refurbish his new home and workplace, calling it the Burnside after the rifle he was given by the old owner shortly after he died. Ever since Joshua has hired five other members of staff to help him run a rather successful saloon and regales visitors and travelling wagon hands of his journey searching for a new home, most of the tales being exaggerations to give them as much flavour and variety as the drinks he stockpiled from his travels and family brewery. He still writes to his family and tries to keep a friendly relationship with them.

Alias - The Skull

Age - 31

Gender - Male

Occupation - Former Outlaw, now Traveler

Height - 5'9"

Weight - 158 lbs

Apparel - Clothing just like this on picture + bandana with skull embroided on it

Weaponry - 2 Colts M1878, Bowie knife

Equipment - Horse named "Fog", Rope, Map, Compass, Wallet with some cash, Some dry meat, 2 canteens of water and off course, small box with ammunition

Skills -
~ Speed and Aim of Gunslinger
~ Skill in riding horses
~ Quite agile

Flaws -
~ Racist against everyone who's not white
~ Not very strong, i can almost say weak
~ Likes stealing, which often drives him into trouble

Personality - Thomas is well known in some of towns for his bad reputation, killing people is like riding a horse, satisfying and profitable. He dislikes long rifles like winchesters, prefers to pin down opponent with rain of bullets from his 2 best friends (Colts). Racist against non white people, nobody knows why, even himself, it is just like this. His favourite thing is galloping throught wilderness, a lot of people consider it not so smart, but he's not caring about it, that's the thing he love. As a former Outlaw law doesn't scare him, he
already committed so many crimes , so why not do another. He's hating all outlaws from his old gang because they betrayed him and leaved the town without him, now he travels and kill old gang members.

Backstory - Born in the small town of Galveston, near Houston, in Texas. His young days were happy, but when he was 9 the Civil War broke out, his father volunteered into Confederate army. He loved Confederate flag and uniforms, he wanted Confederate States to win the war so he can wear one of this uniforms one day. At age of 11 battle of Galveston started, that was the time when he killed first man, he shot Union soldier in the back with dad's revolver.

After escaping from the battle he moved to Dallas to his family. In 1865 when Union won the war, he started to hate Confederate soldiers for dissapointing him and losing the war. After Union abolished slavery in Texas, he started to hate former slaves, they are supposed to work, not making money and living just like him. At age of 17 he ran from home with his friends to seek live in wilderness, he stole his dad's rifle and some supplies. After around a month He and his friends were captured by a group of outlaws. One of his friends was killed and he doesn't cared about it, which resulted in becoming outlaws favourite boy. He stayed with them for around 8 years, doing robberies, learning about shooting and surviving.

In 1877 his gang was captured and putted into jail for a term of 20 years, but just after 3 years they escaped from prison with some other gang. Unfortunately for him there was only few horses and he was betrayed by his friends. He promised to get revenge one day. Thanks to the amazing luck he managed to escape on foot, stoling sheriff's bag, where he founded this 2 Colts that are with him today. He's traveling from this day seeking revenge, three days ago he decided to rest in Soursprings, where he is today.

Alias - Black Cloud

Age - 33

Gender - Male

Occupation - Traveling Musician and Part time Bounty Hunter/ gun for hire. Former slave

Appearance - He's a solid build muscular man that sports low cut hair, a goatee, and a golden tooth. His size and image can be a little intimidating, making him a little rough.

Height - 6'3

Weight - 220 lbs

Apparel - besides what you see on the picture, he wears dark brown slacks with brown boots.

Weaponry - He carries a 1878 Hartford Coach Gun. on his holster he carries 2 1873 Colt single action army revolvers. If need be...he'll use his fists.

Equipment - He has a dark brown and white stallion named Cassius. Canteen of water, an acoustic guitar, wallet with cash, and sleeping bag.

Skills -
~ Skilled and accurate with his revolvers and coach gun
~ Stronger than an average man and a bit skilled in fighting from hard labor and mandingo fights.
~ Quite proficient in playing the guitar.

Flaws -
~ Monty have limited education do to not being taught to read and write during his time as a slave and just started learning a bit after gaining freedom but still have much more to learn..
~ He's at a disadvantage at getting treated equally because of him being of African descent and former slave.
~ He tends to have a hard time restraining himself when a white person insults him and usually he gets into more trouble upon harming an individual.

Personality - Since youth, Monty was known to have been a gentle soul but deep inside, he's had much hatred for slave owners and others who hated his kind. Usually he's to himself and loves the sweet sound of music. He's a bit reserved but he has a temper when someone crosses him. He's usually friendly to those who are friendly and respectful to him. He is fond of helping other former slaves if they've come into trouble.

He does not tolerate crime, disrespect, killing of innocent people, which is why he became a Bounty hunter/gun for hire.

Backstory -
Monty was born to a mandingo fighting slave and a breeding type comfort girl slave. Being born into slavery in the Evans Plantation, Monty was raised there until he was bought at age 5 to be property of Eustace Ward. Eustace was considered what other slaves called, a slave breaker, making them do inhumane things for entertainment. Monty from the age of 8 started off in the Jr. Mandingo fighting to earn his master some betting money to which he was quite proficient in doing.

Throughout his years of being part of the Ward plantation, not only did he handle labor and fight, his taste of music piqued when he noticed another slave playing a guitar, in which he wanted to learn to play himself. Having such talent helped him to gain more favor with his master but his family made his life difficult with set ups and lies that cost him privileges and earned him beatings.

later when the civil war started and the fact that Monty couldn't handle being part of the Ward plantation anymore, he ran away to get free and looked to go to the north. While Monty was being searched for by Ward's men, Monty ran into a Quaker and former bounty hunter, George Sharp, who hid and and took care of Monty from age 13 on up.

George taught Monty a little of reading a writing and when the time came, shooting. After a few years living with George and his family, increasing his skills of music and learning to defend himself, Monty later when to travel to make a living. The Civil war was over and there were many changes. Running into a small town that the now, free slaves own, Monty witnessed one night, terror with a group of men wearing white bags on their heads, shooting the people and burning the town down.

Because of the war ending, many southern former slave owner have taken it upon themselves to cause as much pain and terror to former slaves to put them back in their places but that was until Monty decided to do something about it when a woman he liked was hung. From what he learned from his teacher, George, he took it upon himself to find these men and to make them pay for what they've done.

Monty did manage to find them in another town and took justice in his own hands to not just kill off but to scare the others to not come back. He nearly got himself killed but after doing so, Monty thought about getting into the line of work including bounty hunting. Since then, Monty have been traveling and making money either by his music or killing.

Alias - Elmore "Fiddler" Vegas

Age - 40

Gender - Male

Occupation - Former Confederate soldier/Bounty Hunter

Appearance - Elmore has long black hair and brown eyes. He is almost always seen with a cigar or dip in his mouth. He talks with a heavy Cajun accent and has a trimmed beard. He is never seen without the hat that his father gave him or the medallion given to him by his dead wife. (Seen in picture)

Height - 5'10

Weight - 174 lbs.

Apparel - As stated above he is always wearing his hat and medallion. Other than that expect a pair of jeans, poncho, and buttoned down shirt with boots.

Weaponry - Two Colt .45 revolvers and a Winchester Model 1873.

Equipment - A black horse he calls Mamba, two 1 liter canteens, a box of cigars and an ample supply of dip. He carries a picture of his wife and two children. He also never leaves home without his fiddle.

Skills -

• Elmore is an excellent shot and one of the fastest draws in the west. He has killed many a man in a duel.
• He can track with the best of 'em. He has hunted outlaws from Louisiana to the MidWest territories and back. He always finds his man.
• Elmore is a damn good fiddler, hence the name.
• He can be damn intimidating. Rumors say he once caused a man to wet himself just by staring him down.

Flaws -

• Elmore has a gambling problem, a bad one. The first thing he does when he enters a town is find a saloon with a poker or craps table. While he is good at it, he loses just as often as he wins.
• He smokes like a train engine and drinks to boot. When he is drunk however he is reduced to an incoherent lout.
• He is quite racist against most non-white people at first glance. This does soften a bit if a person of another race impresses him however.

Personality - Elmore is a vulgar man and an arrogant one. He normally believes he is in the right and good luck trying to change his mind. He is also quite cynical though he does have a sense of humor. Once he warms up to a person he becomes a reliable friend but it takes a bit to get there. One thing about him though is that he truly cares about his family. His wife is dead and his kids nearly grown but he does the best he can for them. He says that is why he's got the job he does, it is good money to track outlaws.

Backstory - Elmore was born the second child of tow plantation owners in New Orleans, Louisiana. His grandfather was a Belgian immigrant and his mother comes from a long line of french settlers. Both of his parents died of fever when he was only ten years old and his older sister, Clara, took over the plantation with her husband Ferdinand. He met his future wife, Bonnie, a couple of years later as her family had just moved from Mississippi. She was the youngest daughter of the family which bought the nearest plantation to the Vance's.

It was Bonnie's father who taught Elmore to play the fiddle and he always had great respect for the man. When he was only fifteen he and Bonnie were married and the two plantation families united. Three years later the Civil War broke out and Elmore joined the 4th Louisiana infantry regiment. He fought in battles from Bull Run to Gettysburg in General Lee's army.

When the war ended and the slaves were freed he returned home to a diminished fortune. Hard times had fallen on his family and Elmore became much more cynical than he was as a child. Despite this he and Bonnie were still in love and had two boys, Ross and John. During this time Elmore started gambling to try and raise money for his sister's failing plantation but he ended up being in debt to a local loan shark. Eventually the loan shark's men attacked Elmore's family killing Bonnie and Clara and burning the Vance family plantation to the ground.

Elmore left his children with his wife's brother, Buck, and hunted the loan shark down. After a year he had killed the man and stolen quite a bit of money from his estate which mysteriously showed up at Buck's plantation. Eventually he became a bounty hunter and traveled the world for years catching outlaws and gambling. Ross is now a young man himself and has begun to fix up the Vance plantation and John is planning on moving to New York to study law. That life is not for Elmore however, instead he has followed an outlaw named Jimbo "Horsehoe" Boden to the small town of Soursprings, Texas.

Alias - Hanley Wang

Age - 22

Gender - Male

Occupation - Former thief, Shoe Shiner, Scalper, Ruffian, Servant and now Unemployed

Height - 5'5"

Weight - 120lbs

Apparel - Kung-Wang wears traditional Chinese clothes. Or he did. He still has one outfit left but mostly he wears just a pair of trousers and a shirt (that he stole while on the run)

Weaponry - 1873 Buntline (A Henry repeating rifle used by Mary)

Equipment - Two horses, a map, a compass, Mary's jewelry, clothing, food and water.

Skills - Thievery, skulking, horsemanship, hunting, and Bilingual (Cantonese and English).

Flaws - He's Chinese who loves a white woman. He's young and kind of stupid. He doesn't believe he's inferior to any white man which sometimes causes him to loose his temper.

Personality - Kung-Wang is an angry young man. His history of loss and hardship has shaped him cruelly. He resents those who have wealth and do nothing to help those around them. He's angry at the world for not saving his family. He's angry at himself for the same thing. He hates the world for thinking that he's lesser somehow than white people. Because he knows he's not. But with his upbringing Kung-Wang bottles it all in. He doesn't show his anger until he loses it completely. The only light in his miserable life is Mary. She keeps him sane and makes him want to be a better person. He loves her more than anything and he would do anything to keep her happy. Anything.

Backstory - Chinese Immigrants started coming to the United States at the beginning of the 19th century. Though that wasn't the earliest immigration. The Chinese (in low numbers) already lived in what was to become California (then Mexico). These individuals were largely laborers. Their poor fate not much better than what they immigrated from in China. Those who immigrated in the early 1800s were mainly men. They left their families behind in hopes to find work and hopefully a better life. But there was no better life to be found. Only more hardship, discrimination and abuse. Those lucky enough to find jobs quickly found themselves in indentured servitude.

My father was one of these workers. When he left China it was during the Manchu*⁺ Dynasty. The isolationist policies were in full swing. But largely ignored in favor of making money through trade. My father had lived through the First and Second Opium wars and even fought in the Second. He doesn't talk about it but my mother said that he had been stationed in Nanking*. When the Burlingame Treaty was signed in 1868 my father immigrated to the United States. That was the last time I ever saw the man for years. I was just a young boy of seven. But I still remember the hope we felt when we saw him off. We were poor. I remember my mother counting rice grains to save on money. We couldn't cover all the costs but we were able to use the 'Credit-Ticket' system.

What we didn't know was that he signed up for indentured servitude. He never paid off his debt to Pacific Mail Steamship Company and those who bought his debt. We only heard from him twice, when he first arrived he sent us a letter. After that we didn't hear from him again for ten years.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. After my father departed for America life was even harder at home. Without my father my mother had to work twice as hard to feed all her children. Since I was eldest it fell to me to try to find another source of income. I'm not ashamed that I worked as a beggar, shinning shoes or even resorting to thievery to make sure my family ate. Still, despite my best efforts we didn't always have food on the table. The aftermath of the wars had left the economy crippled with a firm bias to the foreigners. Our jobs were the menial and dangerous tasks that no one else wanted and we weren't paid enough for even basic survival for one person.

In the ensuing years as hope faded that America might take us in, my two sisters died of illness. I watched my mother waste away and finally succumb to death when I was in my 16th** year. In the worst twist of fate not even a day after my mother's passing my father's second letter reached me. He had enclosed a small amount of money. But it was American and with the conversion I'd had nearly enough to get myself to America. When I sold the house and everything in it I had just enough to gain passage to America. The year was 1878.

Price for a boat ride of America had decreased in the ensuing years. We had all heard that the Gold Rush was no longer a Rush. The Transcontinental Rail road was pretty much built. Work was harder to find, but I was sure with my father I could do it. After all there was nothing left for me in China.

The steam ship ride to America was pretty uneventful. The poor souls on the ship, myself included, didn't talk to each other. We all knew that our fate in America was probably to be no better than in China. We would die in a land far from home without any hope. But if there was any chance at all, we had to take it. It made for a quiet ride. None of us talked to each other. There was no reason at all. We'd never see each other again. Or at the worst we'd have to watch each other die. In that case it was better to see a stranger die than a friend.

After the ship deposited us we had to register with the government. They asked us so many questions with their rapid fire English I couldn't even understand most of it. When they asked me for my name (I understood the word 'Name') I just repeated Huang Kung-wang. The man who questioned me just shook his head every time. Finally he said: Hanley Wang and wrote that on the paper. Or so I figured out later. I was quite illiterate at the time when it came to English.

When I finally paid the man off with my remaining money I gained by papers. And a intense foreboding. I know I'd receive no welcome in America but I didn't expect the outright hatred and hostility. I received hateful stares. People whispered and shouted and pointed at me. I didn't understand what they said but their tone made it quite clear. Fear had settled in. I was penniless. I was in a strange country where I barely spoke the language. All my preparations with English were for naught now that I was confronted with it. The desire to get back on the ship and leave was strong but there was nothing to go back to. My mother was dead. My sisters were dead. Only down the path ahead of me laid my father. That was what kept me going. I clutched the letter in my hand and steadfastly made my way to the address my father provided. His letter had told us not to come. But I had to see him. I had to.

My father worked in a field with a lot of other Chinese men. They were all filthy and under feed. Much like myself. It was hard to stop a man I hadn't see in ten years. I didn't recognize him at all. I had to go around individually and ask each man if he was my father. I was chased off once by a white man with a gun but I returned after hours to continue my search.

My father turned out to be a dead eyed man by the same of Albert. He asked me not to call him by his name. When I pressed he just said that that man was dead. I stopped pressing. We sat in silence for a long time before I worked up the courage to tell him about my mother, his wife. He stared at me for a while then nodded his head.

"Here." He said after he stood and grabbed a box to press into my hands. "You'll need this if you are to survive."

He went on to tell me that north there was another home that was looking for a servant. Someone who was good with manual labor. He told me to look for employment there. Before I left I asked why he didn't leave if work here was so terrible. I was so naive then. The man my father had become just smiled sadly at me. But new life entered his eyes.

"Now that I've seen you I am." He told me. I didn't understand what he meant at that point. I just took the chest and left at his bidding. When I returned in the morning I discovered that he had hanged himself. Suicide***. I was aghast and confused. But after asking around I discovered that my father was a slave to these white men in all but name. And that instead of choosing to remain a slave he had set himself free and restored his honor. I could not fault him for that. He was a brave man. My mother was right, as always.

So I traveled north to find work. My father was correct that a home was hiring laborers. I was the last hired and got the worst jobs. But it was work which meant I could feed myself for the first time in days. I worked all sorts of off jobs at the large house. The head of the house a Marshall Reagan was a stern but fair man. He didn't abuse his servants but he wasn't nice either. I learned to jump when he called Hanley.

After a few days of working for Mr. Reagan I spotted his daughter. She was a lovely little girl and I fell in love at first sight. She had lovely white skin and raven black hair. The first sighting I had of her was on a horse. Her long hair streaming out behind her. I made it a point to work in the stables after that and became quite proficient with the horses. Unlike everyone in America they didn't care that I was Chinese.

Due to my new position as a stable hand I had many meetings with Miss Reagan. Eventually as the years progressed we became quite close. When I was nineteen years I stole my first kiss from her. Over the next year and a half we were successful in keeping our illicit relationship a secret. She was not only beautiful but she was smart. Her father was educating her to take over the house hold. She could read, write, do maths and even sing. Best of all she didn't look at me and see Hanley Wang a yellowfaced man. But she saw Huang Kung-wang. She saw all that I was and she wasn't afraid nor did she pity me. Instead she loved me.

When I was twenty-one years Mr. Reagan caught Mary and I in a compromising situation. He was livid. Angrier than I had even seen the man. He shouted obscenities at me and then ran back to his house to grab his gun. At Mary's urging I fled the Reagan lands and hid away in the desert. Later that night Mary hailed me from her window and tossed me bags. The first was heavy and the second and the third were not much lighter. Then Mary climbed down from her room. Her legs clad in only breaches. I should have adverted my eyes, but I couldn't.

Together the two of us stole a set of horses from her father's stables and rode off. According to Mary we'd be safe in Mexico. But we couldn't take a direct route or else her father would find us. Which saw us heading East first then South later. Our route finally took us to a small town named Soursprings where a new chapter in our life opened.

---

<sub>*To keep with the Wild West theme I'm using the Wade-Giles spelling of Chinese Words. Despite the fact it was designed for Mandarin and my character will speak Cantonese. There was no official Anglicized writing system for Cantonese during the time period. But that's not to say there was no such system. Just none that were as widely recognized or even taught than Wade-Giles. Because of this I've made the decision to keep using Wade-Giles even though it is a convoluted and outdated system that quite frankly made it very difficult for westerners to learn Mandarin.

*⁺The Manchu Dynasty or the Qing Dynasty (Under Wade-Giles it was the Ch'ing Dynasty) is the last Chinese Dynasty where China was ruled by an Emperor. It ruled from 1644 to 1912.

**To keep with the Chinese way of counting age, my character would technically be 17.

***Suicide wasn't only a Japanese way of restoring honor. Nor only for Samurai. But many places in Asia practiced ritual suicide. In fact in some more conservative places in Asia it is still a practice. But ritual suicide is romanced in their culture. It's a way to restore lost honor and that is very important. I could write a whole discourse on Honor and the importance thereof, but all you need to know is that by killing himself Kung-wang's father restored his honor (and that if his family) that had been lost, stripped away by slavery. Kung-wang himself respected his father for that decision even though it meant he'd never see the man again.</sub>

Alias - Formerly “Master”, or, “Sir”. Nowadays he just has his friends call him Charlie if they so desire.

Age - 44

Gender - Male

Occupation - Ex Slave Master, now behaves like something of a principled loan shark. The interest rates are fair if a bit high, but anyone unable to pay up after given reasonable time to do so is privy to Charles’ group of hired “help”.

Appearance - Charles is well muscled beneath all of that suit, and quite the athlete for his age. His hair is dark brown with a reddish tinge.

Height - 5’11

Weight - 160 pounds

Apparel - Charles likes to be well dressed anywhere he goes, favoring a suit but often foregoing an accompanying hat.

Weaponry - Charles carries both a .45 Colt revolver on his hip and a Burgess rifle slung over his back. For trickier engagements his hidden sleeve pistol is also available.

Equipment - The man is rich, so he accordingly brings a considerable sum of money around during most occasions. He has a fine steed of a deep chocolate brown that he affectionately calls “Big Negro”.

Skills -

• Charles is a professional rider, having spent all of his years since childhood on horseback.
• He’s a decent shot with rifle and revolver.
• He’s got a way with words when he wants to, and many people seem to feel naturally more comfortable whilst hearing his educated southern accent.

Flaws -

• It’s no secret that Charles is a racist. Anyone not of caucasian descent is free game for his prejudice. He finds working with people of color particularly difficult.

Personality - Picture a snake. Those who truly know Charles would find that there is little difference between the two. He can make friends, and he truly cares for the real ones, but he is cunning. His personal gain will almost always come first, regardless of the circumstance. Charles enjoys a bit of banter with anyone, even blacks. Though they can expect to be treated with thinly veiled derision without fail. He’s truly at home when deep into a good conversation or debate, where he’s made most of his allies and enemies. Always the prideful sort, Charles will fiercely defend the honor of both himself and the South from where his origins lie.

Backstory - Charles was born as the only child of Clementine and Deacon O’Malley, two parents more concerned with running their wealthy plantation than taking care of their own son. He was essentially raised by his white tutors, hired by his parents, of course. He spent the first three years of his life inside the large manor house of his family’s farm, never having any reason or desire to go outside. At the age of four yet another tutor was hired to teach Charles horseback riding. This became one of his great passions, and he avidly took to the sport.

A few months after his sixth birthday, Charles began to look at all of the blacks picking cotton in that farm clearly for the first time. He saw a few young boys about his age at one end of the field and figured that it was unfair of them to be working out there in the hot sun while he rested in the shade of the house. It took only a few moments to strip down to nothing but his pants like the black children before running over to help them pick cotton. He didn’t quite understand why they would never meet his eyes and constantly called him “sir”, but at least they let him help. Then his father showed up.

Deacon O’Malley was a cruel man. He regarded all of the dirty n*ggers around him as subhuman, and was almost ashamed to even own such lowly creatures. So when he saw his own son amongst the n*ggers, dressed like the n*ggers, and picking cotton with the n*ggers, Deacon O’Malley did not hesitate to drag his son away from the field by the roots of his hair and whip him so hard that he would have scars to rival those of the n*ggers. Charles never went near the fields during his youth ever again.

As Charles grew older, he began to behave more and more like his father, despising the slaves for what they were as animals whilst swelling with pride at the glory of his home in the wondrous South. Often during his teen years he would foray into the wilderness on horseback before finding a pleasant spot to hunt game for sport. During Charles’ seventeenth year on Earth, a new and particularly attractive Mammie was appointed to the O’Malley household. He saw to it himself that Catherine was always garbed in something promiscuous. Many a night Charles gave her the privilege of bedding with him.

Five years later, the death of his father would place Charles as the heir to the O’Malley Plantation. Deacon O’Malley was found lying dead near the manor, his head bent at an odd angle and angry bleeding whip marks across his bare back. Two slaves that were also discovered to be conspicuously missing was enough to draw suspicion away from the true perpetrator. Charles was regrettably unable to attend the funeral, having been away at a neighboring plantation to watch a mandingo fight.

Charles ran the plantation with an even crueler manner than Deacon. A single mistake and he would whip the offending negro within an inch of their life. And that was only if he allowed them to get off easy. Not a single man, woman, or child was safe from his lust. He handed Catherine over to the men to rape and beat her to death as he watched after he declared her no longer pretty enough. Any slave chosen but refusing to partake in the exercise joined Catherine on her hands and knees as Charles himself chose to partake in the twisted orgy. Events like these were commonplace during Charles’ time as head of the O’Malley Plantation.

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Charles was not afraid. When the initial vigor the South had felt from their victory at Bull Run began to die down, still he was not afraid. When the Union forces began to push down into the South and defile his beloved homeland, he was not afraid. When William Tecumseh Sherman began his infamous “March to the Sea”, Charles grew fearful. Reality hit him that the South simply could not win this war, and as slavery would no doubt become illegal after the war ended, he, Charles, would be a lawbreaker. This led him to make the wild decision of selling all of his assets off to the highest bidder. All of the slaves, the cotton, the manor and everything inside of it, everything. All that was left to Charles was a wagon, a stylish wardrobe, a few good horses, and a lot of money. So Charles took his money and his clothing, packed it all up in that single wagon, and fled to Texas.

It was here in Texas where Charles would settle and spend the next fourteen years of life, living away in relative comfort in the town of Soursprings.

Age - 42

Gender - Male

Occupation - Tobacco salesman

Height - 5'6"

Weight - 170 lbs.

Apparel - Business suit, suspenders and a vest, old Union uniform. Bowler hat, Union Kepi.

Weaponry - Sharps carbine (1867), Colt Revolver 1860 Army model. Bayonet. Bowie knife.

Equipment - Grey horse named Snodgrass. Map. Fishing net. Rations and water. Whiskey. Many cigars/chewing tobacco/pipes.

Skills - Fighting, farming.

Flaws - Stubborn, prideful, easily annoyed, smoking, drinking, PTSD, racist against Indians.

Personality - Ellis Braddock likes to smoke cigars and drink whiskey. He keeps his emotions to himself and expects the same of others. He is stubborn and prideful, and doesn't tolerate insolence or rudeness. He likes wilderness and towns equally. To most people he seems stiff and humorless.
Ellis believes in suffrage for black men if not equal rights. This is largely because he wants to think that something good came from the war. He is, however, racist against Indians due to his time fighting them and the cultural differences. He is a Christian, but doesn't talk much about religion or go to church enough. He is a moderate Republican, and bears a strong grudge against the South and Democrats because of the war. He enjoys a good political debate, but few enjoy debating with him. He suffers from post-traumatic-stress disorder due to the many battles he has fought in.

Backstory - Ellis Braddock was raised on a farm in Ohio. In 1861, at the age of 22, he volunteered to serve in the Union Army in the Civil War. He served in many engagements, including the Battle of Chickamauga. At Chickamauga he served under General Thomas who held out a stubborn rearguard defense of Snodgrass Hill. After the war he remained in the army, serving in the Indian Wars. In 1874, he retired from the military and moved out west. He has bounced from town to town as a travelling tobacco salesman, as well as occasionally a hired gun. He has made a decent amount of wealth, but still travels constantly to keep his mind off of his bloody past. He has owned his horse for three years, and named it Snodgrass after the hill where he fought at Chickamauga.

Age - 35

Gender - Female

Occupation - Ranch Owner

Appearance - Kizzie's once round, soft features have grown hard. Lines of worry and exhaustion line her leathery face, and crows-feet spread from her blue eyes from squinting into the sun.

Height - Five Foot, Four Inches

Weight - 130 Pounds

Apparel - Always opting for comfort and durability over what is deemed appropriate, Kizzie's attire consists of slacks, boots, a collared shirt, and a vest. Much of what she wears once belonged to her husband. When appearances are a more pressing issue, she will wear the more acceptable riding skirt, or one of her few cotton dresses.

Weaponry - Kizzie carries her late husband's Kerr's Patent Revolver, a five-shot single-action weapon that he was issued during his time in the war. Back on the ranch, she also has a hunting rifle and a series of knives.

Equipment - Kizzie's mount is a buckskin mare named Windsor, who she nicknamed "Winny."

Skills -

• Kizzie is an excellent shot. She and her husband often resorted to target practice when they needed a get-away from the demands of working on the ranch. After his death, she practiced religiously, growing especially skilled with his revolver.
• After growing up around ranches, and eventually owning her own, Kizzie is an excellent horsewoman. Her skills are not limited to the saddle - she is perfectly capable when it comes to grooming, training, and general care. She also knows her way around cattle.
• In the beginning, the ranch she shared with her husband was a pet project. After his death, she was forced to learn the ropes very quickly. As such, Kizzie has grown to be a skilled businesswoman. She knows what she needs, and how to get it.

Flaws -

• The passing of her husband has left Kizzie a shell of the woman she once was. She has grown inverted, and moody, leaving a very bad taste in the mouths of those who knew her her whole life.
• Forced with so many unexpected challenges, Kizzie has decided that she will never depend on anyone again. She is independent, sometimes painfully so, and refuses any sort of help.
• Due to the nature of her husband's murder, Kizzie finds herself acting rashly when it comes to bounty hunters, sheriffs, or matters of death.

Personality - Once, the woman was a bundle of positive light and energy. She was kind to animals and humans alike, and she possessed a sense of humor that made everyone gravitate toward her. Because she grew up in town, the regulars were fortunate enough to watch her blossom into a lovable young lady. Even when her husband was away at war, she remained upbeat.

With his death, everything changed. Kizzie grew angry, lashing out at those around her. Most citizens of Soursprings felt for her, giving her space and understanding. But the years passed, and they realized that she would never return to the woman she once was. She hardly smiles, and prefers to keep to herself when possible. Her humor, on the rare occasion that it surfaces, is dry. Kizzie is intelligent, and will speak her mind when promoted. Her fuse is short and her temper is deadly, especially in matters concerning law, or her husband.

Backstory - Little Kizzie Braxton was a favorite among the people of Soursprings. With her mop of curly golden hair, and big, shimmering blue eyes, most doted upon her from an early age. After time, her good naturedness made her many friends. Eventually, it also found her a soulmate. She and Landon Cottman grew up together, and as they often did, their young friendship blossomed into something more. The pair was married at the ripe age of 17. Shortly after, Landon ventured off to join the Confederate cavalry. Though she worried about him terribly, the young lovers were reunited only a few years later. To celebrate their good fortune, Landon purchased a piece of land only a short ride from town. Together, they built a house, a barn, and a life.

The pair faced many hardships over the next decade. Kizzie's father, a shop owner in Soursprings, fell ill. Just as her mother had twenty years before, he slipped away in his sleep. Landon's mother and father, determining that business was better elsewhere, had moved across the state. Though they wrote often, their absence meant that Kizzie and Landon were entirely on their own. Despite all of this, they made the best of what they had.

The world was turned on its head one evening in November of 1878. On a routine trip into town, Landon had been shot in the back by a young, trigger-happy bounty hunter. The man had mistaken Landon for his intended target, and after realizing his error, he had fled town. The death of one-half of the Cottman sweethearts had left Soursprings stunned. A period of intense searching followed, but to no avail. Kizzie, who had been inconsolable throughout, believed that the sheriff had not done enough to bring her husband's killer to justice, and she would hold onto that opinion for the next five years. When the mourning period passed, and the people returned to their normal lives, Kizzie was left to pick up the pieces. She managed a sizable head of cattle, and looked after a small herd of horses, entirely on her own. And she never lost the desire to deal the punishment that her husband's killer had dodged.

Alias - People who know her call her Isa

Age 22

Gender - Female

Occupation - Saloon worker

Appearance - Isadora is lightly tanned, with caramel-colored skin and warm brown eyes. She has dark, chocolate-colored hair that is naturally curly and falls in ringlets. Her thick hair ends just past her shoulder blades. Isadora is of an average height and is on the thinner side. She more often than not pulls her hair back into a high ponytail since it tends to get everywhere when left hanging loose. Isadora's hands are rough and calloused from years of scrubbing floors and washing dishes and doing the laundry. Her brown eyes are full of mirth and her lips are almost always quirked up in a playful smile.

Height - 5 feet and 5 inches

Weight - 115

Apparel - When she is not working, Isadora usually settles for a plain yet flattering dress made from linen or cotton. She favors lighter colors that go well with her skin tone and eyes/hair, especially a deep forest green that brings out her eyes. She also likes to add small ornamentation to her attire by embroidering hems and making something by herself. Isadora can also be seen in prairie skirts.

When she is working, Isadora likes to wear clothing that is brighter and more eye-catching, and on special occasions Isadora goes all-out. She likes getting all dolled up and jumps at any opportunity to wear something nice.

Weaponry - The only weapons that Isadora carries with her are a pair of plain, unadorned daggers-one is usually in the bodice of her dress, and the other one is concealed underneath her skirts. She decided when she first began working that it would be prudent to have some sort of weaponry with her in the case of more...unsavory patrons.

Equipment - Isadora usually carries a couple of needles and a bit of thread with her, as well as a scrap of cloth and a couple of plain hairpins that she typically ends up using to tie her hair back and to keep her curls out of her face. She also will have a couple of coins with her, just in case of an emergency.

Skills -
*Isadora is an expert in mending clothing, from silk dresses to roughspun aprons. She has plenty of experience with a needle and thread as well, and has a penchant for embroidery, although she does not frequently embroider due to her current circumstances
*Isadora grew up helping her oldest sister cook for three younger siblings and a handicapped mother. She can whip out a meal from anything and everything, granted that you don't mind the taste of it too much
*Some may call her sneaky, but Isadora thinks of it as having a "good sense of hearing". Isadora is a big eavesdropper and is quite skilled at remembering important tidbits of information and random rumors that she hears on the streets
*Isadora is able to clean and do laundry fairly well
*Although Isadora doesn't look like much at a first glance, she's quick and light on her feet-even in floor-length skirts
*One of Isadora's favorite past-times is dancing; not ballroom dancing, but spontaneous dances with fast music and faster steps.

Flaws -
*Despite what she might say, Isadora is downright nosy. Not only that, she is a gossip who couldn't keep her mouth shut if her life depended on it
*Isadora is rash and can be hot-tempered when provoked
*Isadora has never learned to ride a horse or shoot a gun properly. Her general knowledge of firearms amounts to "point the barrel away from you and press the trigger"
*Isadora is flighty and tends to have a very short attention span. People have also characterized her as "frivolous" and "shallow"
*Isadora hates being told what to do when it comes to her personal life. She can be headstrong and unyielding if she has set her mind on something, even if she sees how the other side could be logical

Personality - Isadora is generally an outgoing and friendly person. She always has a bright smile or cheerful greeting for people she knows. She can be rather impulsive and doesn't always think things through. Isadora lives life in the moment and would rather focus on the present than anticipate the future or brood on the past. She is lively and vivacious-she lives to laugh and loves to live. Isadora is quick to anger but she is also quick to forgive and forget, and she firmly believes that life is much too short to hold petty grudges. Isadora has a knack for remembering everything she hears, especially anything that she deems especially important. She is also quite the conversationalist, willing to talk to anyone and everyone-and she just can't seem to keep her big mouth shut. Isadora is an avid gossiper and knows the dirt on seemingly everyone in town, and she's not afraid to share the information she knows. Isadora can be witty and playfully teasing and even flirtatious and coy if the situation calls for it. Isadora is headstrong and willful and hates being told what to do when it comes to matters that concern her personal life, much to the vexation of her mother and older sister. She is perceptive and good at guessing the thoughts, feelings, and intentions of others, and Isadora is keenly aware of her surroundings.

At the core of her personality, Isadora is ferociously loyal to her family and friends. She may be blabbing about Jane cheating on John for all to hear, but you will never hear a word from her about her own mother and siblings if she doesn't want to talk about them.

Backstory - Isadora was born and raised in Soursprings. She has never been beyond five miles of the town. Her mother, Rita, was married to a white man who abandoned her not long after Isadora was born. Rita herself was born in Soursprings, although both of her parents were born in Mexico. Isadora never even got her father's name out of her mother, although according to her older sister who still vaguely remembered their father-Elena-he had blonde hair and brown eyes. Rita would always dismiss questions about her first husband with an impatient gesture and a "don't-you-have-anything-better-to-do?" glare. Rita married Manuel Escalante when Isadora was three, and Isadora soon had three younger siblings-twins Maria and Rosa, followed by Carlos. Unfortunately, Manuel died of a heart attack when Isadora was ten, and Rita succumbed to an unknown illness that left her crippled and unable to walk a year after Manuel died. It fell to fifteen-year-old Elena and eleven-year-old Isadora to raise their siblings.

Elena had always been the dutiful and obedient sibling. Isadora, on the other hand, was willful and wild. When they were younger, while Elena brushed her hair properly and followed all the rules like a proper young lady, Isadora was running through town barefoot with dirt streaked across her face and smashing the rules to pieces. After Rita fell ill, however, Isadora cleaned up her act. The Escalantes were far from wealthy, and with Manuel dead and Rita crippled, they had no steady income coming in. Rita took on whatever odd jobs she could to bring in some money. Elena herself soon got a job and spent most of her time working. Isadora, who was still too young to be hired, began to take over the household chores. She cooked, cleaned, and did laundry while yelling across the street for Maria and Rosa to "leave the poor horse alone, for Chrissake!".

It was not until Isadora was around fourteen or fifteen that she began to work herself. She very quickly found a job in the local saloon-Burnside-owned by a certain Joshua Darwall. At first, she was stuck in the kitchens washing dishes and scrubbing floors, but as she grew older Isadora was allowed to work in the dining area. That was when she became more conscious of her general appearance and began to take after Elena in her concern for her clothing. Isadora differed from Elena in that she found most of the "acceptable" clothing for her age and gender much too stuffy and boring. She was always looking for ways to spice things up a little, and she even managed to get the wife of the owner of the general store to teach her some basic embroidery.

The saloon was a whole new experience for Isadora. She had grown up living in a ramshackle house with cramped rooms and chaotic clutter and young children always underfoot. In the saloon, Isadora was faced for the first time with a sense of order. Isadora enjoyed working in the saloon-even if she did have to scrub floors and wash dishes and wipe down furniture, at least she could do it without small children running around willy nilly and getting in the way-and she especially enjoyed listening to random snatches of conversation as she poured drinks and collected empty glasses. She silently listened to stories of the fantastical and the mundane and the morbid, filing away anything particularly noteworthy for the future. She listened to soldiers talking about the war, young women discussing the latest fashions from England, deputies and sheriffs recounting feats of extreme daring and courage and farmers predicting how good the harvest would be for the upcoming year. Isadora listened and remembered, and if there was a subject that was of a special interest to her, she would sometimes interject with a few sentences herself.

In the last couple of years, Isadora has begun to converse with patrons a lot more, and the people in town know to go to Burnside if they want to catch up on the latest news. The saying goes that if Joshua Darwall doesn't know, Isa will be happy to help. Indeed, Isadora may know much and more about matters of actual importance, but she always enjoys regaling listeners with tales of how Mary had been cheating on her husband Joe for ten years with a man who lived in Chicago, or how Sue and Beth are no longer friends because Sue made a snide remark about Beth's expensive brand-new dress imported from New York.

Recently, Elena and Rita have been getting on Isadora's case about marrying a suitable man and settling down as well, especially after Elena married the older brother of a family friend-Pablo-and moved in with him. Isadora scoffs at that. She certainly has not had a lack of suitors with her infectious laugh and lively eyes, but Isadora is by no means ready to get married and have children. She would rather have a taste of everything before deciding, so to speak.

Alias - J.J. Sharp. Black Death (as more of a joke than an actual alias.)

Age - 38

Gender - Male

Occupation - Bounty Hunter/Gun for hire.

Appearance -

Height -6'0

Weight - 175

Apparel - a black setson, a black duster over a grey vest, black trousers held up by suspenders, black leather gun belt and black boots

Weaponry -



Equipment - A black horse that JJ affectionately calls Horse. He has a bedroll on his saddle, a weeks worth of food for him and Horse in his saddle bags and two canteens strapped to his saddle.

Skills - JJ is a great rider, tracker and an even better shot, even being called the best and fastest gun in his unit from the war.

Flaws - JJ is used to being alone and therefore has trust issues and doesnt like to depend on others.

Personality - JJ is your stereotypical John Marston/Chris Larabee type character. He's a lone wolf and likes to keep it that way.

Backstory - JJ was born in 1845 on a small farm in Virginia. When he was 17, he snuck out of his house and enlisted in the Confederate Army, due to the fact that his mother had been beaten and raped and his father had been murdered, all by a group of Union soldiers. He was assigned to a cavalry unit, The Sussex Light Dragoons. After the war ended, he went back home to find his mother had been kidnapped, and their farm burned by ex Yankees. He tracked them down for 3 days, finding them holed up in a cave. He killed three of them, wounded two and rescued his mother. Thus, started his career as a Bounty Hunter.