Heretic

Red Dead Reckoning

Madeleine Hart

_{Interaction: @Sad Ogo}

"Can ya say that again ma?" Maddie nearly choked on her words, tears pooling at the corner of her eyes and threatening to slide down her powdered cheeks.

Margaret looked away from her daughter in shame. It pained her to have to repeat such dirty words, but she'd already crossed the damn line and she couldn't turn back now. "I bedded your husband, darlin'," she repeated herself, looking at Maddie once more, "some time before you two married. Your brother had left town and your father...well, he wasn't a damned bit concerned about intimacy. When Samuel came--"

Her words were cut short the instant Maddie's palm made contact with Margaret's face. Neither woman spoke for a while. Maddie was meaning to tell her mother how her faithful husband of many years had died, how it wasn't an accident, but now her intentions had changed.

"You know Samuel killed daddy? He didn't go over the edge trying to fix that light...he was pushed."

Margaret gave her daughter the look. "He told you that?" she asked with a hint of skepticism, rubbing her sore cheek.

"I overheard him tellin' Benjamin. I overhead a lot of things, to be frank with you, and that's why I came here wantin' to tell ya." Never mind what I just did to Minnie... Maddie shook her head with a sigh, walking towards the door. "I cannot be here ma. I need to go out and think."

Maddie didn't wait for a response. She stepped out and headed towards the saloon for a drink, her face displaying a mix of emotions. The one man in her life that wasn't blood and mattered to her was destroying her family from within. And now at the very least he'd question her about Minnie. But that was easy; some women died at childbirth.

Caught up in her thoughts, Maddie was startled when she heard gunshots go off in the distance. For some reason, she picked up the pace towards the saloon, and roughly half a minute later Maddie reached the narrow street to witness the aftermath of what appeared to have been a duel. She noticed a man approaching one of the deceased, the one who had been outgunned. For whatever reason she was both relived and disappointed it wasn't Samuel lying dead on the ground.

"Looks like he was at a disadvantage. You a friend of his?" she asked, taking notice of the holstered weapon.

Red Dead Reckoning

Madeleine Hart

The cries echoed off the bare walls within the house. Madeleine Hart was slightly flustered and covered in sweat, her bloodied hands tightening the blanket a little bit more around the newborn. An unconscious Minnie lay on the bed behind her, enough blood pooled underneath her nether regions to compare her to a slaughtered animal. She was dead--poisoned to be exact, but nothing violent. The blood was simply the result of childbirth.

"Shh, it's okay, you're fine now darling."

Maddie got up from the wooden chair to approach the window, the baby still cradled in her arms. It was oddly quiet outside, a stark contrast to the small voice in the back of her head. Maddie looked down at the newborn baby, her bright blue eyes exploring the room before focusing on the young woman once more. The girl was oblivious that her life was hanging on a very delicate balance at the moment, that of revenge for someone else's sins.

"Surely it's as simple as that! Why didn't I think of it before?" Maddie walked back to the other side of the room before gently setting the baby down on the wooden cradle. She then went to her bag looking for a small map she kept tucked away. Once she unfolded it, Maddie studied the neighboring towns. In the middle of such distraction, a crash from outside startled the woman to the point where she lost all common sense and started heading towards the front door. Maddie had barely cleared the room when she found herself starring down the barrel of a gun.

"Do not make a sound, and we won't have any problems," the stranger instructed, shaking his head just the slightest for emphasis. There was some shuffling behind her, and even though she tried to look without turning her head, she was quickly warned against it.

"Please, what do you want? It's just us here and we don't have--"

"I said shut your mouth!"

Maddie immediately did as told. She knew she was outnumbered and outgunned, regardless of whatever elaborate plan she could think up on the spot.

"I got her, let's go." The voice behind her belonged to a woman, more than likely the man's wife. Maddie's eyes widened in response but she was just as quickly grabbed by the front of her blouse and pushed back against the wall, the tip of the revolver painfully digging against the side of her neck.

"If you even dream about taking a step before we're gone, you won't live to regret it."

Maddie stayed in place, watching the man retreat out of sight before the couple disappeared through the bedroom window. The moment it was quiet once more, Maddie sank to the floor. She went numb, unable to cope with what had just happened. Was she sad? Angry? Relieved?

"Oh Madeleine, you need help if nothing else."

Red Dead Reckoning

Post coming tomorrow!

Red Dead Reckoning

Sorry @RedVII I think I'll have to pull out before things get started

@idlehands

Finally, got it up.

@f0un

Red Dead Reckoning

Maddie Hart

NAME: Madeleine Hart

AGE: 23

GENDER: Female

APPEARANCE: Madeleine is a woman of short stature, standing at no more or no less than 5'3. She has naturally wavy black hair and soft, hazel eyes. The term "sun-kissed skin" might be a bit of an overstatement in terms of describing her complexion, but by no means is she pale.

OCCUPATION: Midwife and caretaker to those who are sick and can't help themselves. Occasionally dabbles in murderous activities in pursuit of her personal goals.

ASSETS:

• A pistol inherited from her father
• A stolen blade
• Rich, her loyal Arabian horse

PERSONALITY: All over the place. Sweet and caring, but vengeful and cold-hearted when certain buttons are pushed. She loves the calm and the chaos all the same, her emotions ruled by her current surroundings.

Despite her fluctuating persona, Madeleine is not sloppy nor careless. Unsurprisingly, she has a soft spot for animals, children, and the elderly and fragile, at times leading her to ignore instinct and play hero. Having been knocked down once or twice before, both literally and figuratively, Madeleine is not easy to scare, although she's wise enough to realize whenever she's been outgunned.

HISTORY: Madeleine Hart has always been one of the townies. She was born to David and Margaret Hart a year after they had her brother, Joshua. As a young girl, Madeleine was a bit of a trouble maker. Her father, a successful farmer, would at times have to give chase as she ran off to be with her animal friends. Madeleine grew up without sisters, therefore most of her free time was spent with her brother who had quite the influence on her.

When she was only 12 years old, Madeleine inconspicuously followed her brother into the fields purely out of boredom and curiosity. It was there Joshua liked to gather with his friends every once in a while and drink, or do whatever else they desired. Getting comfortable, Madeleine watched in silence as one of the boys showed the group an injured racoon, the poor thing barely conscious. When Joshua asked to see it, he started messing with the small animal, torturing it in a sense. It didn't take long for Madeleine to jump out and yell at him to stop. The other boys ran away giggling, and Joshua was left to deal with her alone. At first he was apologetic, but then slowly became defensive. Madeleine was beyond furious with him...

"Relax Maddie, we was only messin' with it."

"What do you mean 'messing with it'? Can't you tell the poor thing is in pain? You're an ignorant coward and a fool-"

"You need to watch your mouth, little sister." His expression changed as he closed the distance between them both. Madeleine could tell he was furious, and instinctively took a few steps back. Unfortunately, the young girl tripped on an old discarded rake half covered in dirt. The fall nearly knocked the wind out of her but she managed to react with urgency and grabbed a hold of the tool before standing up.

"Don't come closer!"

Joshua rolled his eyes, ignoring his sister's demand only to find out he should have listened to her. Madeleine swung the rake and the tip made contact with the side of Joshua's head. The boy was intantly knocked off his feet, his body falling to the group as if he were dead. And maybe he was. Maybe Madeleine had killed her brother. In somewhat of a shocked state, the girl ran off to find her parents. She ran faster than she'd ever done so before, her lungs burning for air but her legs carrying her all the way home.

With time, Joshua would go on to make a full recovery, although the relationship between the siblings was never the same again. Joshua went off on his travels and Madeleine stayed home to learn to be a midwife. Her mother taught her everything she needed to know, and before long both women were working together side by side.

One day, Madeleine was looking after a sick friend when the woman's brother returned. His name was Samuel Roosevelt, and Madeleine knew she was in love.

DO YOU HAVE A PERSONAL STORY ARC PREPARED: Yes

THEME SONG: Ring of Fire as covered by Lera Lynn

Red Dead Reckoning

@Berlin @c3p-0h

Thank you both for your sacrifice! Can't wait to get started on the scheming ;)

Red Dead Reckoning

Quite a few potential collaborations I see.

Maddie's endgame is to avenge her father, which will result in a number of deaths along the way, among other things. I can see her setting someone up so they take the fall instead of her, so if you wanna volunteer for the role, let me know. And don't worry, your guy/gal will get away with it anyway.

Red Dead Reckoning

Maddie is complete.

Red Dead Reckoning

Maddie Hart

NAME: Madeleine Hart

AGE: 23

GENDER: Female

APPEARANCE: Madeleine is a woman of short stature, standing at no more or no less than 5'3. She has naturally wavy black hair and soft, hazel eyes. The term "sun-kissed skin" might be a bit of an overstatement in terms of describing her complexion, but by no means is she pale.

OCCUPATION: Midwife and caretaker to those who are sick and can't help themselves. Occasionally dabbles in murderous activities in pursuit of her personal goals.

ASSETS:

• A pistol inherited from her father
• A stolen blade
• Rich, her loyal Arabian horse

PERSONALITY: All over the place. Sweet and caring, but vengeful and cold-hearted when certain buttons are pushed. She loves the calm and the chaos all the same, her emotions ruled by her current surroundings.

Despite her fluctuating persona, Madeleine is not sloppy nor careless. Unsurprisingly, she has a soft spot for animals, children, and the elderly and fragile, at times leading her to ignore instinct and play hero. Having been knocked down once or twice before, both literally and figuratively, Madeleine is not easy to scare, although she's wise enough to realize whenever she's been outgunned.

HISTORY: Madeleine Hart has always been one of the townies. She was born to David and Margaret Hart a year after they had her brother, Joshua. As a young girl, Madeleine was a bit of a trouble maker. Her father, a successful farmer, would at times have to give chase as she ran off to be with her animal friends. Madeleine grew up without sisters, therefore most of her free time was spent with her brother who had quite the influence on her.

When she was only 12 years old, Madeleine inconspicuously followed her brother into the fields purely out of boredom and curiosity. It was there Joshua liked to gather with his friends every once in a while and drink, or do whatever else they desired. Getting comfortable, Madeleine watched in silence as one of the boys showed the group an injured racoon, the poor thing barely conscious. When Joshua asked to see it, he started messing with the small animal, torturing it in a sense. It didn't take long for Madeleine to jump out and yell at him to stop. The other boys ran away giggling, and Joshua was left to deal with her alone. At first he was apologetic, but then slowly became defensive. Madeleine was beyond furious with him...

"Relax Maddie, we was only messin' with it."

"What do you mean 'messing with it'? Can't you tell the poor thing is in pain? You're an ignorant coward and a fool-"

"You need to watch your mouth, little sister." His expression changed as he closed the distance between them both. Madeleine could tell he was furious, and instinctively took a few steps back. Unfortunately, the young girl tripped on an old discarded rake half covered in dirt. The fall nearly knocked the wind out of her but she managed to react with urgency and grabbed a hold of the tool before standing up.

"Don't come closer!"

Joshua rolled his eyes, ignoring his sister's demand only to find out he should have listened to her. Madeleine swung the rake and the tip made contact with the side of Joshua's head. The boy was intantly knocked off his feet, his body falling to the group as if he were dead. And maybe he was. Maybe Madeleine had killed her brother. In somewhat of a shocked state, the girl ran off to find her parents. She ran faster than she'd ever done so before, her lungs burning for air but her legs carrying her all the way home.

With time, Joshua would go on to make a full recovery, although the relationship between the siblings was never the same again. Joshua went off on his travels and Madeleine stayed home to learn to be a midwife. Her mother taught her everything she needed to know, and before long both women were working together side by side.

One day, Madeleine was looking after a sick friend when the woman's brother returned. His name was Samuel Roosevelt, and Madeleine knew she was in love.

DO YOU HAVE A PERSONAL STORY ARC PREPARED: Yes

THEME SONG: Ring of Fire as covered by Lera Lynn

It is beyond my bedtime, so I'll complete her history soon.

EDIT: Apologizing in advance for the ridiculous image size...

DEAD ISLAND 💀🌴

@Eviledd1984

Liliana Russo

The sight of so many mindless killers present in a small space made Lili more terrified than she was before. Their numbers seemingly kept growing, while on the other hand, it was just the two of them fighting them off. And it didn't help that her partner was being a realist instead of an optimist; she could use that little bit of hope she was hanging on to.

Despite her mind telling her otherwise, Lili pushed forward into the chaos. She squared off with one of them wearing a valet uniform, or at least she assumed that's what it was. But unlike the little girl, the guy wasn't so easily overpowered. In fact, she found herself on the defensive. Lili successfully dodged a swing from the man, but the second time around she wasn't so quick and ended up with a scratch from her collarbone across to her chest. She ignored it, and since her back was practically against the wall, Lili used it to her advantage to kick away the man, sending him stumbling back. She noticed her chance to finish him off and grabbed a lamp that was on a small table against the wall. Lili brought it back and with all her might, took a swing at his head, aiming the base of the lamp to make contact with his temple. The result was a sickening crack and a limp body dropping to the ground. But that was just one of them, and when she quickly looked down, she noticed she was bleeding a little.