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Jack Shade

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LURKER MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Genres
Magical, Fantasy, Supernatural, Sci Fi, Steam Punk, Noir, HORROR, and I'm willing to try Romance.
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This Roleplay is currently open to Five participants. If the spots are filled and you still want to be a part of the rp, express interest. I may have room for more.


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“All concerns of men go wrong when they wish to cure evil with evil.”
-SOPHOCLES,​

“Where there is a choice of two evils, most men take both.”
-AUSTIN O'MALLEY, Keystones of Thought​

The year is 1873. Railroads criss-cross the back of the United States like maniac stitches. In the wake of the Civil War, the country hopes for a New Age of prosperity and advancement. Stirrings in the North speak of four-man dirigibles, and a steam-based street tram is being installed in Los Angeles. No one speaks of war, not today, but unrest is a catching sort of fever and the West has never seemed tame.

From April through August, a rash of crimes in California and Arizona leaves the residents in nervous terror. Johnny ‘Black Heart’ Williams, a former lieutenant in the Confederate Army, has turned his skills to a different sort of battlefield. Bank heists and murders are the tip of his operations and he leaves a black calling card stuck in the hearts of his victims. Villainy takes many forms and men are quick to don them if profit may arise.

Johnny rides at the head of a gang called the Sundowns, named for their eerie habit of attacking when the sun sets with neither torch nor lantern light to guide them. Perhaps more terrifying are the rumors that savages now ride with Black Heart and his men, providing curses and mystical travel. Identified among them is the supposed dead man Captain Jack of the Modoc tribe, riding stride by stride with Scarface Charley, phantoms championing their revenge from beyond the grave.

But the recent news is too much to ignore. Ten children have been spirited from their homes by the bandits, for reasons guessed but never uttered, and in each case there is word of neither break-in nor conflict. The Governor of California scrambles to formulate a response. His best men could not catch them, the guard cannot catch them, and in desperation he turns to the ruthless and the wretched. Legends in their own right.

A sum of $2000 will be paid for the head of Williams, and a $100 award for each of his band. And, in a surprising gambit, the governor has offered one last prize…one too precious for even the most hardened of criminals to pass up.

A full pardon in the state of California...in exchange for the safe return of the children.

With the reward warming the guns of every outlaw in California, the governor sends personal letters to a chosen few he hopes can bring down the famous outlaw. This group now rides to meet in the small mining town of Mariposa, ready to fight for gold, clemency, or something more personal.

The Ransom is set, the Bounty chosen.

But the question on the minds of the governor and his loyal entourage is a fundamental one, a pressing doubt cast on the urgency of the situation.

Can Evil cleanse Evil?



• Abide the rules of Iwaku

• The Genre for this game is Weird West. While we aren’t swinging around claymores or hurling fireballs, there will be aspects of folkloric magic and strange coincidence. Most of these ‘abilities’ are covert rather than overt, enough to build a legend but not enough to make you a walking monster. Remember the genre.

• Collaborative Storytelling means we are all telling a story. This is a chance for everyone to shine in the spotlight a few times and for every writer to WANT to see their fellow writers glorified for their writing and contributions. This is OUR story, let’s make sure it stays that way.

• I hold the final say on character sheets. Not that you can’t convince me otherwise, but if I don’t think it fits…best to roll with it and we’ll find a compromise.

• I reserve the right to Asmo-jack if necessary. I will always check first to make sure it’s alright for anything overt, but sometimes action scenes flow smoother if all described in one narrative. The worst I’ll do is have you dodge things and if I want to injure you, rest assured you will know well ahead of time.

• I expect at least one post a week, barring severe circumstances. If you cannot make that commitment, this roleplay is not for you. If there is more than a week or so of no posting and we need to move the plot, I may take control of that character till you return. Should you drop out entirely, let me know please...and I will feed your character to the dramatic narrative machine.

• Any questions? PM me. I’m a friendly guy, even if no one knows who I am.

• There is a high chance for death in this story. Unlike many tales where all heroes can expect a happy ending, this is a dark and dangerous time. Those who die will do so to serve a purpose, and I can promise an epic death, certainly. But not everyone will make it to the end of this story. Make your peace with the shadow of the Reaper

• Have fun with it or I shall be forced to feed you to Grumpy.


Name: (Self Explanatory)
Age: (Likewise)
Appearance: (Picture preferred, but a good paragraph will do fine. If there is deviation from the picture at all, scars and such, note them below the picture.)
Equipment: (Everything you feel is worth mentioning)
Legend: (This is for all the information publically available about your character. Some of it may be true, some of it false, and maybe some eerie facts may come to light...either way, this is where you should build your reputation. I'm looking forward to the creativity in this section)
Ability: (Limited to one. Remember the theme. Uncanny luck in combat, ritual magic taught by native Americans, The ability to come back from the dead (at a cost) and many more. Be creative! Abilities and legends are the fields I will be watching the closest.
Motive (Money? Freedom? The thrill of the Hunt? Revenge? What is your character doing, heading to Mariposa?)

WIP
 
Name: 'The Stranger'
Age: Estimated to be in his 30's.
Appearance:

gunslinger_by_degos-d32lp7c.png

The top half of his head is not bandaged up from the nose above, but the hat he wears
is often pulled down so that it obscures this fact from view. He wears brown leather
boots complete with spurs which deny him any sort of stealth.

Obviously those are neither the guns he uses nor the gunbelt. Those will be detailed
under equipment.




Equipment:

Pale Rider- A white appaloosa which 'The Stranger' rides.

Colt 1851 Navy- A revolver with a loading gate cartridge conversion kit. Customized, his being outfitted with wooden grips inlaid with a silver rattlesnake on each side.

HS1905_small_thumb.jpg



Legend: During the war, there was tale of a young gun named Duncan who had a quick-draw like a rattlesnake. He also managed to survive the entire war without receiving any life-ending wounds. No internal organ damage, no amputations, and no damage to his face whatsoever. All things considered he made out pretty well. He headed out west after the end of the war to get away from the south he despises so deeply. During his time as a Confederate soldier, he had become seriously disillusioned with the society he had been raised up in.

Ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time and on the wrong end of Johnny William's gun on April 1st.

Left for dead on top of a large tumbleweed out in the desert and bleeding from a gunshot wound to the heart, Duncan died hours later. Weak as the plant was his corpse soon sank down into it until the body touched the ground. The body was never found let alone laid to rest and buried in a proper grave.

Not that this is actually really important information, other than the fact that exactly on July 1st was the first time anyone laid eyes on 'The Stranger'.

And that the first time he spoke was not from his mouth, but from his gun. No one could deny calling him a gunslinger the way his aim almost always rang true. Most men he gunned down could not outdraw him while the few that could found their shots counted for nothing. In the end he survived them all.

Words have spread around the west like rogue tumbleweed that 'The Stranger' cannot be stopped by mere bullets. Not even knives or full-fledged calvary swords. One tale tells of him surviving a shot dead between the eyes. Another that he survived being tied to a rock and tossed into a lake by bandits. Still another exists that he once walked into a town once with enough arrows in him to win a porcupine lookalike contest. Most joke that a cannon could probably get the job done. . . but that not many common folk own their own cannon. Dynamite still remains fairplay as well. Some whisper that a shot to the heart would do the job. . . like pulling the root of a plant right out from the ground so that it could never grow back. But the only thing anyone is sure of is that no one knows for certain what will finally kill him.

Ability:
Tumbleweird- Tumbleweed soaked in his blood somehow brought his corpse back to life. It is the only explanation. And he uses this newfound life to seek revenge against those that wronged him. But he cannot win all the gunfights in the world. He dies and comes back, but every time he does, it's a little less human, a little more brambles and branches. Now he no longer eats food. Instead he drinks water when the urge strikes him. It even allows him to regenerate from minor wounds over time. But one day. . . he'll just become tumbleweeds and blow away.

Motive: Revenge.
 
Name: ‘Fortune-Favored’ Jack Redwood

Age: 28

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Equipment: 18 Knives of various sizes and shapes festooned in different places along his body. A bow is slung across his shoulder and a quarrel of arrows, saddlebag with necessary supplies for survival, and a cavalry sword sheathed at his side.

Legend: Jack Redwood perhaps knows his former Lieutenant, John Williams, the best. The youngest of a powerful plantation family from Virginia, he tried to make a name for himself against the North. They say that he was never hit with a single bullet, no matter how many times he hurled himself at the firing line. After the war had ended, Jack returned to find his plantation had been burned to the ground and his family murdered. Afterwards he became a bandit, much like Johnny, but murdered his men whenever he came across them. They say Johnny wronged Jack somehow, took something dear from him. Now the man who cannot be killed by bullets rides to Mariposa for more than forgiveness or money…he rides for revenge.

Ability: By the Gun you have lived and by the Gun you will die- Jack cannot be killed by bullets. So long as he never fires a gun again, bullets cannot harm him. They veer at the wrong moment, or inflict only glancing blows, but cannot seem to imbed within his body. Should he ever fire a bullet, he almost certainly will die from a gunshot wound thereafter.

Motive: Revenge
 
Name: A'Way Tuk'e'm (Lunar Mountain Lion)

Age: 27

Appearance: [SPOILI]
Native_American_by_xblubx.jpg
[/SPOILI] Note: She does not travel around with her full native american clothing. Instead she wears Levi's, and a leather shirt fashioned from buffalo skin. She also wears cow hide boots with spurs.

Equipment: A'way carries with her a Colt SAA, with enough ammo on her to last her a few more shots. Her close comrade is a Paint Horse whose name is I'saw, meaning Sun. Strapped onto her back is a quiver of arrows and a bow.

Legend: It's well known that Tuk'e'm was the former lover of Johnny. No one knows for certain how long the two of them were together or if Johnny had taken her in as a slave. At some point she left the Sundowns gang but not without residents of California spotting her with child. When she returns her belly is flat, there is war paint smeared over her face and she's wearing Levi's. The government has avoided arresting her due to her allegations of being enslaved by Johnny. It is believed she stayed with her tribe, the Chumash, before being called away.

Tuk'e'm did participate in the nightly raids, seen often at Johnny's side. Many remember her long black hair fanning out behind her and her ear piercing war cry.

Ability: Night Vision - It's believed that this was how the Sundowns may have performed their raids during the night.

Motive: Revenge and Money

 
Name: ‘Half-Cut’ Hal Brandt

Age: 41

chri.jpg

Equipment: Colt Peacemaker, pocket watch, Bible, hunting knife, medicine bag.

Legend: 'Hal' is the shortened form of 'Halona', a Native American name meaning 'happy fortune'. He is the son of a German-descent missionary and a Native American woman. Questions remain on whether Hal's birth was the result of two people forsaking their cultures in mutual love, or of a preacher losing his faith and raping an innocent. Hal was raised in the wilderness, by the earth-wisdom of his mother and the academic teachings of his father. When old age took them he returned to civilisation, a travelling preacher and healer, finding equal share of disdain and acceptance.

Ability: Bone Weaver. If he focuses hard enough, and has line of sight, Hal can weaken a single bone within a man or animal. The larger the bone, the more he has to concentrate. By weakening the bone, this makes it more susceptible to break when force is applied.

Motive: 10 years ago, when preaching in a village, Hal won the affections of a lonely farm girl and with her embarked on a secret affair. She was only 17. She bore him a child yet when she saw its half-cast features she tried to drown it, for fear of how the village would judge her. Hal stopped her and took the child away. He raised the boy, Nate, by himself and told him that his mother had died in labour.

Seven nights ago, Nate was taken from his bed. Hal rides to reclaim his son.
 
" Two Sided Jackson" Christian Cole Jackson
Age: 27

Equiptment:
Z
Christian carries a .22 revolver on his waist strapped around with a easy reaching acess.

Appearance:
benjamin-eidem-male-model-11232011-43.jpg

Legend: Christian is mostly known for his way with the law and his short temper and way with the gun. Not caring for the people or things that were going on around him unless they were people that he cared about and he was close to, and the many lives that he took. To him everything came at at price and if you got in the way then you were gonna just have to die. There was nothing more he wanted than money. Everything he wanted he had and everyone he wanted around was there...until an incident. Amanda, the woaman he loved what killed in her sleep, brutally. He swore on his life that he would find out who killed her and lay him low.

Ability: Frozen Touch: He lost his love so he inflicts pain on others. The victims die of frostbite, even on hot summer days. He leaves them cold and empty inside like his life without his love.

Motive: Revenge, Thrill of the Hunt
 
Alright ya'll. I think we're ready to start.
 
Yay~ Kill my boredom, kill it!!!!
 
I have no idea if you're still accepting characters, but the premise is really well set up and I'm a sucker for westerns with this kind of theme.

Name: Johnny "Six Fingers" Tarr

Age:
29

Appearance:
(just cause there's probably not a picture online that fits the bill I'm looking for) Johnny's not a good looking man. The Irishman’s a tall sod with a pair of hazel eyes and a pale complexion. That's where his more human characteristics end as the years have not seemed to have not treated the man well. Four of his long slender fingers seemed to have been cut off at various sections and cauterized, giving the hands a very alien look about them. A chunk of his right ear is missing as if someone snipped it with a pair of scissors along the top. The sections above and below his mouth have small divots as if left behind from an act of sewing it shut sometime before. Several long and jagged scars extend about his face and hands, giving the man's pale skin the look of a bumpy road map used for terrain analysis. The surface of his palms especially look like oak paired with a file and the destructive tendencies of a four year old. When he smiles you see his teeth are jagged and set about his mouth like a shark, not sitting in any particular order. At least two of which are clearly missing and the rest are stained with years of tobacco use. When the man takes off his hat, it's clear that the scars are not limited to his hands and face. Along the back of his skull the words "Never done" seem to have been branded into the flesh, starting behind his right ear and trailing up. You're not sure, but you don't think it was done at one time with a single brand. The ridges of the burn sit at different heights as if it were applied over time with a heated piece of rebar. He wears a brown pale rider hat with a feather in the side, a beat up leather duster that looks like it was dragged behind a horse for a few miles before being passed down, and a vested suit that would look more fitting on a mortician than a cowboy.

Equipment:
Winchester model 1873 repeating rifle, a small leather kit carrying surgical tools and anesthetic, A pair of wool sheers used for sheep, a bowie knife, a lighter and a flask of something alcoholic that'd more appropriately be used for cleaning engines.

Legend:
Johnny Six Fingers is a character only talked about in hushed circles, full of predisposed bias and baseless lies. His appearance doesn't yield him much in way of companions and he doesn't talk about himself that often to others. When asked about his scars he redirects the question the likes of "Mother kissed me too hard when I was a kid." or the like. Stories say the man played a role in Young Irelander Rebellion following the potato famine that crippled the country's economy. When the rebellion failed, Johnny and the rest of the rebels were rounded up and convicted of sedition. After being sentenced to death it's said that Johnny used the jail cell as in a ritual and sacrificed his cell mates to gain an audience with the devil. In exchange for his soul, the Irishman asked for the power to break from his bonds and escape his captors. The devil agreed, binding the pact with Johnny's own blood. The man escaped the compound the night prior to his execution and stowed away on a shipping boat to the states along with a handful of other immigrants. He has been here ever since.

The truth in the story is up for debate and is at the very least overhyped. The uprising in question happened in 1848 and occurred a few years prior to Six-Finger's birth. Johnny finds the story amusing and doesn't mind pointing out its flaws, but he doesn't dismiss it.

Ability:
Johnny's a witch in the purest form of the word. His abilities stem from blood magic and are fueled by removing pieces of himself and offering them as a catalyst. Due to the nature of the pact, the magic must be related in some way to Binding, imprisonment and the freedom from holds. Tarr is a man who supposedly can not be held and at the cost of his body he can break from barriers that would otherwise imprison him. Despite this, the human form has limits and some barriers hold a higher cost than others. Where altering the lock on a door might take something as simple as slicing open a thumb, breaking through a stone wall would take more blood than his body could realistically produce. Furthermore on the matter of more costly transactions, after Tarr has cut into himself for the spell components he still needs to close the wound. Being a human being he still is victim to all the same vulnerabilities of blood loss, dehydration and shock. As a result, using the gift as an offensive ability is unrealistic. The magic can also not be used to "bind" wounds, even those of other people.

Motive:
The money, but mainly using that money for asylum from deportation back to Ireland and citizenship in the states.
 
I had an inkling to close this up, but you've won a spot. I'll be in contact about some ability modification soon as I get home.
 
Name: Felicia Tourney
Age: 20
Appearance: View attachment 16153

Equiptment: Guns. guns and more guns. Assistant 'character': Macguiver: A street dog who Felicia found stuck by a carriage and dying in the road. She showed him compassion- like he father showed her and nursed him back to life. He now is her only loyal friend and carries with him her ammo and supplies
View attachment 16166

Legend: Felicia was orphaned around the age of nine, left in an abandoned shack to rot. To her parents dismay, she was found by a traveling gunsmith, who stumbled upon the thin girl passed out face down on the dusty road into town. It would seem that Felicia was desperately trying to find her way back home, though she had lost her sense of direction. Over time the elderly gunsmith grew to care for the girl, trying to keep her safe from the dangerous dealings he did with bandits and other folk who would easily prey on her fragile body and soul. He raised her as his own, teaching her as much of his trade as he could.

It was taboo for a girl to know so much about gun craft, but he poured his knowledge into the young lady, letting her absorb as much as she could. Surprisingly Felicia learned it all and even itched to experiment with crafting ways that her father had never even dreamed of. He indulged her curious ways and Life was swell until a quarrel over weaponry left him robbed and dead, the young Felicia witnessing everything.

Over time she had taken over his shop, creating her own versions of the weapons he taught her to create and being one of the only weapon-smiths to craft successful elemental and out of the ordinary guns. Felicia effortlessly surpassed his skill, being considered a master craftsman and dedicating her life to the skills her adopted father bestowed on her.

Over time Felicia too gave in to the pressure of selling to the wrong “type” of folks, drawing herself into the clutches of a local bandit leader and putting herself on the radar of others looking to get their hands on her dangerous weapons.

Personality: Unlike her father, Felicia dedicated her life to building and improving her creations- completely blocking herself off from the outside word (other than when she made a sale, which was quick and to the point). She is very socially awkward and still acts much like a child. She always looking to feel secure, and that is when she does her best work. Normally she is crafting whilst cuddling with Macguiver. Felicia is very withdrawn until she is comfortable. After that she is very bubbly and happy go lucky.

Felicia is a master at using any gun she creates- that is because of the way she builds them. She isn't better than any other average marksman or anything, but someone wouldn't be able to just pick up her signature guns and know how to use them right away.

She has a unique- almost comical way to her gun craft.


Ability- Boom Stick- Felicia creates custom elemental and out of the ordinary guns. The way they work, the type of ammo and the way they fire are all customization's that she can fiddle with.

Motive- She enjoys the idea of avenging her fathers death, but is not much of a fighter, she hopes that it is one of her hand crafted weapons that brings the bad guy down.
 
I had an inkling to close this up, but you've won a spot. I'll be in contact about some ability modification soon as I get home.

*fistpump!*
 
Cosmic, make the edits suggested and we're good to go. The IC looks to be up on Sunday or Monday.

Looking at the addition of one more character before then (He's workin on the sheet) For anyone else interested in this rp. Keep an eye on the OOC. Some of these characters will be dying and there may be room for more down the road.

We shall see. Anyone whose character I have 'liked' you are good to go.
 
Lonnie Calvery
32 years of age.
Appearance:wrangler1.jpg

Equipment: Three well-worn and tarnished harmonicas, a nap sack with blanket and pillow, three sturdy leather belts - one stained brown with blood, and a pair of boots in dire need of replacement.

Legend:
A Free spirited Oklahoma boy, found himself runn oft from the war. Ran himself west though Texas and into New Mexico, set the course for Nevada, but wound up belched out north into Colorado. It was in Colorado that Calvery found himself, then a ripe 25 years old, a job with the railroad. Hauling coal and stowing supplies what came in from the east. Wasn’t easy work, but it kep` him fit, `n kep him fed. It wasn’t too long before men unaffiliated with the railroad started to see just how much it would be worth. Train didn’t even need to be stocked with passengers for a gang of boys to come try `n muscle their way into some kinda something nicer than they had. More than negotiable, Lonnie snuck by with his life time and time again.

It was Robert Parker noticed the harmonica stickin outta Lonnie’s pocket one day at the stock yard, asked for a tune and found himself disappointed when all he heard was “na sir, that one ain’t for playin”. From then on Lonnie rode for free, and the pay he made shoveling coal went straight in his pocket before he ever got on. Still, sympathetic to the railroads needs and the needs of the men in it’s employ, he always finds a way to spend all his money before getting off.

Ability: Lonnie Calvery plays the pipes nice and sweet, and has more than one harmonica. There’s one, just one, that makes a mighty whistle, blows much louder than the others, and has the curious habit of whipping up the wind something fierce. A few low notes kick up the dust, and a few sharp squeals get it roiling. He don’t like to say where he got the thing, says he rather let her speak for herself.

Motive: “ I just wanna keep on movin, keep on surviving, till God comes callin me on home.”
 
Hey Grave, thanks for joining in.

I'm curious on two counts of your profile...the first is your history. Was Lonnie involved in railroad crimes or somesuch? Why'd he get to ride for free?

The second is the motive. People are hunting down this kidnapper of children, this outlaw. What brings your character into the mix?
 
Lonnie rode for free on account of his....um, how to say, talents. With the wind from the train and the whistlin wind of Lonnie's Harmonica, well, most boys don't wanna risk a sandstorm to pilfer the central pacific.
Ya see, Robert Parker wasn't no jolly stow away, not a quiet conductor either, he was a bank owner outta utah, he saw in Lonnie's harmonica a way to sell security to old Charles Crocker on his investment. Can't have construction halted on account some n`err dowells.

Lonnie doesn't understand how pardons work. He's hopin that if he gets the pardon, he can give it to someone else for a nice chuck of beachfront property.
 
*looks at Jack*

I think... someone with a faulty character sheet has... FINALLY given a legitmate explanation.... o_o
 
Made the changes.

I didn't consider this before but do you want me to change the name? I dunno why I didn't think about this but "Black Heart" Williams' first name is Johnny too.
 
*looks at Jack*

I think... someone with a faulty character sheet has... FINALLY given a legitmate explanation.... o_o


Well I'll be damned.

Approved on all counts then. *Marks this day in his calender*


Edit: Your call there Cosmic. I think we could differentiate between the Johnny on our side and the Johnny we need to kill, but if the spirit so moves you, feel free to opt in a different more Irishy name
 
Ransom IC

Alright. IC is up. No posting order. We have just a little bit of character interaction before we ride into St. Claire's. Casualty threat is high here...so if you fall behind, expect dramatic Western style death :P

If your character has been 'liked' by me, you are free to post. If not. Best get in contact with me lickity split.

We are still open for more characters, but at this point you may be in next chapter.

Best wishes!
 
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