[OOC] West of Purgatory [Closed]

[Blue Demon]

Setting: 1800s. Wyoming.

Location: A mining town. Lone Mine
Dramatis personæ:

Hardboiled detective = Cowboy/ Bill Montana
Femme fatales/ Virginal Maiden = Daughter of the Dead Man
Corrupt Deputies (Roger, )/Sheriff Hawkins
Jealous husbands
Intrepid claims adjusters (can change to the railroad men)
Down-and-out writers = The Dead guy #1
Older, Foolish Woman
Hero
Tyrant/villain = Mine Owner
Bandits
Clergy ("The missionaries sent out there are almost everyone mean, vicious, weak, immoral, useless men.")
The Town/ Lone Mine
Native Americans

Note- "Among characters of every stripe, cigarette smoking is rampant."

Plot: In the opening scene there's a murder. The town has secrets. Scary things happen.

Other notes:
I'd like the dichotomy of the Rich and the down trodden. It would be very apparent in a mining town. The family holding the mine would be the richest (unless there was a railroad man there) and most everyone else would be struggling to get by. There would be two or three middle class families, but not many.

Clickable links:
Map of the 1800s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_fiction#Elements_of_Gothic_fiction
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir#Structure_and_narrational_devices

[Blue Demon]

For my cowboy guy, I was thinking he could get dragged into investigating the murder by the "Femme fatales/Virginal Maiden". If that's alright with you.

[ClosetMonster]

Great name, btw. "West of Purgatory".. heh. You so need to see that movie. I think you'd like it. It's about a group of banditos who enter into a town named Purgatory and find that no one in the town carries a gun. It's a town of non-violence. Very, very interesting. Complete with strange, cryptic shaman.

So take on Femmes fatales/virginal maiden? I can do that... sort of the gal that can be said, "She walked in on gams the length of stilts and a sad look in her eye. I guess I was always a sucker for blondes, but if I'd known what this dame was gonna get me into, I would have showed her the door."

So.. murder... hmm... A brother or father? Father works for that, perhaps? Was doing some work for the local mine owner? Accounts or some such.

[Blue Demon]

I've seen so many westerns they all blur together after a while. It's quite possible I've seen it. I just don't remember. (Plus, a lot of the westerns I watch I never catch the name of. That's what I get for watching them on TV)

So, if I have the cowboy and the shaman. And you have the FF/VM and the Tyrant. I'd agree the father of the FF/VM could have been the accountant of the Tyrant... Um, Mine owner. Which I guess it means our Mine owner was cooking the books. :o Also, our Mine owner would be the guy doing the actual murder. Maybe either the sheriff or a hired gun?

[ClosetMonster]

Ooo... a sherriff? Because there ought to be the hired gun elsewhere. Either as the bandits or part of the tyrant and/or hero.

And as far as setting? You think the mine would be good? Nothing like a mine with a personality. heh. Or an old Indian place, sacred or otherwise?

[Blue Demon]

Well, the setting would probably be the town. Since there's such an array of characters. It would all center around the mine. The Mine would be the driving force, the heart of the place. But heck, if we wanted to personify the mine more... I wouldn't object. Imagine walking through a creepy angry mine. (I <3 scary)

[ClosetMonster]

Sorry - I'll fill out a response tomorrow - big fire here and it's given me a huge headache thing. Blech. And yes.. creepy, angry mine pissed at some thing.. heh. Totally.

[Blue Demon]

S'okay. No rush. I'm not going anywhere. :)

[ClosetMonster]

Oooookay - let's see here.

So.. Virginal Maiden type- plucky kind of innocent (or is that naive? This is noir) girl who desperately wants her father's murderer to be found.
Mine owner baddie - money grubbing type with a desire to either make MORE money, take out cowboys who can't keep their nose out of someone else's business, wants a piece of virginal maiden, or some complex concoction of one, two, or all of the above.

A town, regular old boom town, on the verge of really making it now that the railway is come, but with a dark hole up there on that mountain. Said about thet ol' place how it was a sacred prayer spot to some injun tribe or some such. Ain't no good diggin' inta th' belly of thet thing, I'm tellin' ya. Some miners, they go in they say you kin hear wails and groans deep in th' earth. Mine owner, he sez how it's prolly jus' them beams creakin' under the weight, but it sure don't feel like thet when yer close to by. Sounds like someone's got it out for ya.
Best you look fer gold in the stream or on one of th' other mountains. Don't get greedy an' go inta the Fellowship Mine.

[Blue Demon]

I love it. I was thinking though, with stereo typical westerns. Maybe the mine owner has a son who has the hots for our maiden type. And that's how the two are connected.

[ClosetMonster]

Oooo.. yeah(exclamation point) LOVE the idea. :)

So who do you think killed the dead guy?

[Blue Demon]

Um, it's cliche, but the mine owner? That's who I was thinking did it. Via some sort of hired gun probably. Because he isn't stupid.

[ClosetMonster]

I was thinking the same, yeah. :) Sounds really good to me.

Heh - never did a RP whodunnit where I was positive about who-dunnit before I started before. This is going to be different and fun.

Now then, what else? Start'er up with the usual "dame walked into an office" kind of thing, only with a western flair? Or connect the cowboy to the girl somehow?

or something else. *L* We need more? We can do more, have it mapped out first thing.

[Blue Demon]

Um, I don't know if we need anything else for certain at this point. Most of the characters could be just communal, unless someone says otherwise. If that's fine with you. Right off I'm saying hands off my Cowboy. :)

[ClosetMonster]

Heh heh... no hands on the Cowboy. Not even pre-story. He's mighty fine, that Cowboy, I can see why you are wantin' ta keep him under wraps. ;)

Communal characters sounds good.

[Blue Demon]

Now then, what else? Start'er up with the usual "dame walked into an office" kind of thing, only with a western flair? Or connect the cowboy to the girl somehow?

@ClosetMonster

I like that for an opening. But my Cowboy wouldn't have an office. He'd be on a ranch, smoking. XD

As for the connection, maybe her father or older brother was a friend of MC's?

[ClosetMonster]

Yeah - I can see that... so Virginal Maiden has herself a brother who gone off ta college back East. Left his kid sister behind. Wonder if she likes the mine owner's son or if she's just liking having a boy chase after her?

[Blue Demon]

If you're playing the maiden, it'd be up to you.

Do you think we need anything else to get this ball rolling plot wise? Because I feel good about it. (And I'm not 100% worried about story cohesivity with the supernatural element)

The only thing I'd like to know is who's playing whom or who's a general character that's free to play. Because I know who I'm playing, but I don't know who you're playing. :)

[ClosetMonster]

Cohesivity? We don' need no cohesivity.

:) Well, I was so totally open to sharing all but the cowboy, but it would be fun to have one or two characters. I can take on the dame, shore. :) The rest, free game as far as the story goes?

[Blue Demon]

I guess if you didn't want a set character, who am I to tell you otherwise. Haha.

I'll start working on an opening post then.