🌵 Blood and Dust : Interest check, freeform game

[mainsnoires]

Blood and Dust

“This is a cruel land, son. Not because it was born cruel—but because men bled something into it that won’t wash out.”
 — Elias Connolly, Dead Horse Ranch

Game Style
A gritty, character-driven, supernatural Western in the spirit of Red Dead Redemption.
Freeform, narrative-based, no dice—only your words, your past, and the choices you make.

The tone of the game sets it possibly as {Light/BON to NC}.

THE SETTING: VULTURE’S REACH
A wild and blood-soaked frontier land roughly 100 miles wide, set between 1890 and 1900 in an alternate, dark-myth version of the American Southwest—blending Arizona deserts, New Mexico mesas, snowy Colorado peaks, and ghost-haunted forests.
This is not the Old West as you know it.
It’s darker. Hungrier.

The Premise

Nearly fifty years ago (1851), in a forgotten canyon called Gallows Pass, three men—Mayor Silas Wayland, Judge Jeremiah Cole, and Marshal Beauregard Crain—performed a ritual older than their blood. Desperate for control, they bound themselves to a forbidden rite of immortality, striking a treacherous accord with a native shaman. The ritual worked. The shaman died. And the land was cursed.

Now, these men—collectively known in whispered legend as The Trinity—rule the region from behind silver doors and blood-slick gallows. Immortal in flesh but rotting in spirit, they hunt the last native voices, silence witnesses, and surround themselves with loyal families who know not the monsters they embrace.
But change rides in, slow as thunder.

You are not heroes. Not yet. Maybe never. You are exiles, half-bloods, mercenaries, visionaries, drunks, or prophets. You live beneath the cracked roof of Dead Horse Ranch, a haven built by the enigmatic war-deserter Elias Connolly, a man who may know too much about the past—and the price of truth.

Factions in play:

• 🪓 The Coulter Gang – Lawless marauders. Serve gold, not honor.
• ⚖️ Adler Family – The Mayor’s allies. Land barons. Political aristocracy.
• 📦 Braithwaite Family – Traders of flesh, powder, and memory.
• 🔥 Native Survivors – Fading lines, but keepers of the true history.
• 🐴 The Ranchfolk: Drifters, orphans, ex-soldiers, mystics, and misfits. Yours to shape.

At this stage, the characters who are a priority for the game are ranchfolk, but other factions are open to play as secondary characters.

THE RANCH – Your Beginning

Dead Horse Ranch, run by Elias Connolly, is where outcasts gather.
You might be:

• A repentant Coulter outlaw, hunted by your own kind.
• A half-native seer, cursed with visions from the gods.
• A runaway daughter of the Judge, blood tied to the Trinity.
• A war-haunted doctor, drunk on guilt and laudanum.
• A gun-priest, broken by what he saw in Gallows Pass.

Whoever you are, you are not innocent.
But you just might be what this cursed land needs.

TIMELINE: The Curse of Vulture’s Reach

1851 – The Ritual at Gallows Pass
Three rising figures—Wayland (preacher-turned-politician), Cole (a circuit judge), and Crain (a Civil War captain)—performed a forbidden ritual at Gallows Pass with a native shaman to grant eternal life. The ritual worked, but the cost was great:

• The shaman was betrayed and killed.
• The land is cursed and blood must be spilled regularly.
• Those with native blood can sense the unnatural “stillness” in the Trinity.

1861–1865 – The Civil War
The region fractures. Outlaws bloom.
1870s – Founding of Elysian Ridge
Wayland rises as mayor. Cole builds the courthouse. Crain dons a Marshal’s star. The Trinity consolidates power.
1880s – Rail Expansion & Native Collapse
The Snakecoil Line connects the east to the dust-choked trade town of Dustveil. Native territories are torn apart. Coyote Hollow shrinks to whispers.
1895 – The Present
Strange dreams plague those of native blood. The land trembles. Secrets begin to stir like coals beneath ash. The Trinity grows desperate.
You arrive at Dead Horse Ranch. The story begins.

MAIN LOCATIONS

• Elysian Ridge (City)
  
  • The main seat of political power. Grand courthouse, opulent mayor’s mansion.
  • Home to the Mayor, Judge, and Marshall.
  • Location of the mysterious "Silver Summit Masonic Lodge".
• Dead Horse Ranch
  
  • A dusty but lively ranch west of Elysian Ridge, run by the kindly and mysterious Elias Connolly.
  • Home to a patchwork of misfits, ex-cons, mixed-blood natives, and lost souls.
• Dustveil (Trading Post/Town)
  
  • Known for black markets and secretive dealings.
  • The Braithwaite family has influence here.
  • A lawless town where the Coulter Gang settled.
• Gallows Pass (Ritual Site)
  
  • Where the immortality ritual took place.
  • Feared and forbidden.
  • Strange carvings and bloodstained altars remain.
• Coyote Hollow (Native Land)
  
  • Hidden native village, dwindling in population.
  • Constantly raided or threatened by the Coulters.
  • Keeper of old traditions and oral truths about the ritual.

NATIVE DEITIES & SPIRITS

These are known only to native bloodlines, shamans, and the Seers:
🐃 Wakàni – The Great Bison
Domain: Strength, survival, earth
Favors: Those who protect their people
Ritual Offering: Smoked herbs, sacred chants at dusk

🦅 Zintkála – Sky Mother / The Thunderbird
Domain: Storms, visions, justice
Favors: Truth-seekers, the wronged
Ritual Offering: Eagle feather burned in lightning storms

🐺 Tóyanla – Wolf of the Borderlands
Domain: Hunting, travel, protection
Favors: Wanderers, scouts, orphaned children
Ritual Offering: Meat left at the edge of forests

🔥 Ŋahtó – The Fire Below Domain: Death, rebirth, vengeance
Favors: Warriors, betrayed spirits
Ritual Offering: Ashes, tattoos made with burnt bone

🌙 Mahpíya Iyáye – Moonwalker
Domain: Dreams, omens, time
Favors: Shamans, sleepers, seers
Ritual Offering: Silence during full moon night, white clay markings

How to Join
Vulture’s Reach is a place for storytellers who love broken characters, slow-burn mysteries, gritty choices, and a dash of the uncanny.
This is a roleplay about legacy, rot, and redemption—and whether any of us can outrun the blood in our boots.
We’re looking for 4–5 dedicated writers ready to shape a living, breathing frontier—one post at a time.

If you're interested, drop a message with your character concept or questions. The ranch gates are open... but nothing that enters comes out clean.

[imalux]

Oh, I love both supernatural and Western settings... this is definitely something I'd have interest in. I have a couple of questions, though:

• Are people aware of the pact they made at the present setting? Or is it more like ghost stories that they pass around the campfire? 
• Is it any specific Indigenous nation, or a more ambiguous/fictional group of people? 
• Are there other supernatural elements at play / are people functionally aware of things like that being possible at all? Or is it more like the 'real world' with regards to the believability of such things? 

Hopefully this idea works out ! 

[mainsnoires]

Hello @imalux !
To answer your questions:
1- People in the game won't be aware of this pact, the fact the trinity hunts down the native tribes can be explained because they are dangerous and not tolerated in this land. However, the natives will be more aware of the ritual (as a story passed on and on) and they'll "sense" that these three characters are not normal if they are close to them.

2- So far this was not an option, mixed blood with native can be a thing though;

3- Other supernatural elements, such as ghosts, undead, or strange creatures are definitely present and considered as old legends. Industry is growing, yet the old beliefs are still there.

I hope this clarifies the setting!

[imalux]

Hello @imalux !
To answer your questions:
1- People in the game won't be aware of this pact, the fact the trinity hunts down the native tribes can be explained because they are dangerous and not tolerated in this land. However, the natives will be more aware of the ritual (as a story passed on and on) and they'll "sense" that these three characters are not normal if they are close to them.

2- So far this was not an option, mixed blood with native can be a thing though;

3- Other supernatural elements, such as ghosts, undead, or strange creatures are definitely present and considered as old legends. Industry is growing, yet the old beliefs are still there.

I hope this clarifies the setting!

For the 2nd point I meant like -- for Coyote Hollow, as an example, is listed as Native Land. I was asking if it belonged to a specific Native tribe or if it was going to be a fictional one. 

[mainsnoires]

Re-
Ok, I'd say this would be a fictional native tribe. As stated PC should prioritize ranchfolk but secondary characters can be of any factions, hence the native tribe history could be a proposal from players.

[imalux]

Oki - thank you for clarifying! 

[xPeachyPuff]

Tentative interest here. I adore westerns, and I'm curious as to what you have planned, plot-wise, so definitely keeping my eye on this c:

[mainsnoires]

Thank you for the interest!
@xPeachyPuff 
There will be a general plot centered around the curse on the land, and the Trinity, that will be GMed, yet this game will also be sandboxed, with interactions decided by players themselves.
Two characters could be created per player with the suggestion that one is linked to the ranch, the other can be from any active faction. The Trinity characters only will be GMed.
If a couple more players show interest, I will post the character sheet and map/locations ^_^

[Revna]

Definitely watching, I have a few ideas mulling around but need to see some things and maybe ask some things after work.

[ThisOneGal]

I'm definitely interested, but not sure if I have the skill to back up said interest.

[mainsnoires]

CHARACTER SHEET

BASIC INFO

• Player:
• Name:
• Alias/Nickname: (If any)
• Age / Apparent Age:
• Gender:
• Race / Heritage: (e.g., mixed native, settler, ex-slave, outlaw lineage)
• Occupation / Role on the Ranch:

ORIGINS & CONNECTIONS

• Background: (Brief life story. Where are you from? What have you done?)
• Connection to PCs:
• Family / Relations: (Include if you're secretly related to the Immortals...)
• Ties to Other Factions: (Coulters? Braithwaites? Adlers? Natives?)

PERSONALITY & MIND

• Core Belief / Guiding Principle:
• Vice / Flaw: (Drinking, guilt, rage, etc.)
• Secret They'd Kill To Protect:
• Fear or Weakness:

SKILLS & TALENTS (Narrative-based)
Mark 3 with an asterisk * if they are exceptional.

• ☐ Gunfighting
• ☐ Hand-to-Hand / Melee Combat (knives, tomahawks, brawling, ritual blades)
• ☐ Tracking / Hunting
• ☐ Horsemanship
• ☐ Healing / Medicine
• ☐ Stealth / Infiltration
• ☐ Charisma / Manipulation
• ☐ Ritual Knowledge / Spiritual Ties
• ☐ Repair / Tinkering
• ☐ Survival / Wilderness Living
• ☐ Strategy / Tactics

IDENTITY & INTIMACY

• Character's Sexual Orientation: (e.g., heterosexual, bisexual, queer, asexual)
• Character's Romantic Preference: (e.g., monogamous, polyamorous, commitment-averse, forbidden love)
• Relationship History: (Married? Widowed? Estranged from a lover or child?)

• Player's Kinks / Desires / Boundaries: (link your O/O's)

NOTES / GM SECRETS (Optional — For GM eyes only, ie add by PM only)

• Is this character unknowingly tied to the immortality secret?
• Any prophecies, curses, or fated connections?

Character sheet code

Code Select Expand


[center][size=5][font=Impact][b]CHARACTER SHEET[/b][/font][/size]
[img width=250]https://i.ibb.co/zWzNHPXX/Sang-et-poussie-re-sauvage.png[/img][/center]
[hr]
[float=right max=45%]
[right][img width=300]https://i.ibb.co/1fjdMmcq/Sang-et-poussie-re-image-personnage.png[/img][/right]
[/float]

[left][b][size=4][font=Impact]BASIC INFO[/font][/size][/b][/left]
[list]
[li][b]Player:[/b][/li]
[li][b]Name:[/b][/li]
[li][b]Alias/Nickname:[/b] [i](If any)[/i][/li]
[li][b]Age / Apparent Age:[/b][/li]
[li][b]Gender:[/b][/li]
[li][b]Race / Heritage:[/b] [i](e.g., mixed native, settler, ex-slave, outlaw lineage)[/i][/li]
[li][b]Occupation / Role on the Ranch:[/b][/li]
[/list]
[hr]
[b][size=4][font=Impact]ORIGINS & CONNECTIONS[/font][/size][/b]
[list]
[li][b]Background:[/b] [i](Brief life story. Where are you from? What have you done?)[/i][/li]
[li][b]Connection to PCs:[/b][/li]
[li][b]Family / Relations:[/b] [i](Include if you're secretly related to the Immortals...)[/i][/li]
[li][b]Ties to Other Factions:[/b] [i](Coulters? Braithwaites? Adlers? Natives?)[/i][/li]
[/list]
[hr]
[b][size=4][font=Impact]PERSONALITY & MIND[/font][/size][/b]
[list]
[li][b]Core Belief / Guiding Principle:[/b][/li]
[li][b]Vice / Flaw:[/b] [i](Drinking, guilt, rage, etc.)[/i][/li]
[li][b]Secret They'd Kill To Protect:[/b][/li]
[li][b]Fear or Weakness:[/b][/li]
[/list]
[hr]
[size=4][font=Impact][b]SKILLS & TALENTS[/b] [/font][/size][i](Narrative-based)[/i]
Mark 3 with an asterisk * if they are exceptional.
[list]
[li]☐ Gunfighting[/li]
[li]☐ Hand-to-Hand / Melee Combat [i](knives, tomahawks, brawling, ritual blades)[/i][/li]
[li]☐ Tracking / Hunting[/li]
[li]☐ Horsemanship[/li]
[li]☐ Healing / Medicine[/li]
[li]☐ Stealth / Infiltration[/li]
[li]☐ Charisma / Manipulation[/li]
[li]☐ Ritual Knowledge / Spiritual Ties[/li]
[li]☐ Repair / Tinkering[/li]
[li]☐ Survival / Wilderness Living[/li]
[li]☐ Strategy / Tactics[/li]
[/list]
[hr]
[b][size=4][font=Impact]IDENTITY & INTIMACY[/font][/size][/b]
[list]
[li][b]Character's Sexual Orientation:[/b] [i](e.g., heterosexual, bisexual, queer, asexual)[/i][/li]
[li][b]Character's Romantic Preference:[/b] [i](e.g., monogamous, polyamorous, commitment-averse, forbidden love)[/i][/li]
[li][b]Relationship History:[/b] [i](Married? Widowed? Estranged from a lover or child?)[/i][/li]
[/list]

[list]
[li][i][b]Player's Kinks / Desires / Boundaries:[/b] [i](link your O/O's)[/i][/i][/li]
[/list]
[hr]
[size=4][font=Impact][b]NOTES / GM SECRETS[/b] [/font][/size][i](Optional — For GM eyes only, ie add by PM only)[/i]
[list]
[li]Is this character unknowingly tied to the immortality secret?[/li]
[li]Any prophecies, curses, or fated connections?[/li]
[/list]

[center][img width=200]https://i.ibb.co/1fjdMmcq/Sang-et-poussie-re-image-personnage.png[/img]
[img width=200]https://i.ibb.co/1fjdMmcq/Sang-et-poussie-re-image-personnage.png[/img]
[img width=200]https://i.ibb.co/1fjdMmcq/Sang-et-poussie-re-image-personnage.png[/img][/center]



[mainsnoires]

Character sheet is up!
We are still looking for interest from players, feel free to PM or post ideas/questions in this thread.
You can also post your WIP: character sheet, PM will be required for approval however.

[ThisOneGal]

CHARACTER SHEET

BASIC INFO

• Player: ThisOneGal
• Name: Miriam “Miri” Cole
• Alias / Nickname: Red
• Age / Apparent Age: 22
• Gender: Female
• Race / Heritage: Mixed Native/Settler
• Occupation / Role on the Ranch: Ranch hand and occult ward-keeper; helps maintain protective signs, rituals, and fences

ORIGINS & CONNECTIONS

• Background: Miriam grew up beneath the cold shadow of her father, Judge Jeremiah Cole—one of the most feared men in Vulture’s Reach. In the polished halls of Elysian Ridge, she was shaped into a living ornament: quiet, obedient, porcelain-perfect. But the truth was buried deeper. Her mother, thought to be a dead settler woman, had been a native prisoner—erased from history. At eighteen, Miriam stumbled upon a blood-marked journal hidden in the judge’s study, its pages filled with the truth of Gallows Pass and her own cursed lineage. She ran that night and never looked back. Since then, she’s drifted through ghost towns and outlaw hideouts, stayed with dying shamans and desert mystics, trading labor for lore and bullets for breath. She’s learned to ride hard, sleep light, and trust no one. Dead Horse Ranch is the first place she’s stayed long enough to unpack her saddlebags—and maybe, her past.
  
• Connection to PCs: Wary of most, she gravitates toward those who don’t talk too much and respect silence.
• Family / Relations: Daughter of Judge Jeremiah Cole (unacknowledged in public, concealed from many). Her native heritage is a secret—even to herself until recently.
• Ties to Other Factions:
  Coulter Gang:
  Miriam escaped a botched ransom attempt by a splinter group, killing one of their own and torching part of their camp. Now she’s a marked woman—some want revenge, others want the bounty rumored to be on her head. A few older gang members recognize her mother’s features and avoid her.
  
  Adler Family:
  The Adlers track her movements silently, likely seeing her as a contingency or pawn in the Trinity's power games. She found a redacted inheritance document tied to her name, and suspects they know more than they let on.
  
  Braithwaite Family:
  Miriam believes the Braithwaites trafficked her mother, based on an old ledger she found referencing a "special delivery" to Elysian Ridge. She’s stolen from their caravans, burned records, and now holds damning evidence with the family’s seal.
  
  Native Survivors:
  Her blood and behavior place her on the fringe—tolerated, sometimes respected, but never fully embraced. A dying shaman taught her protective rites, but others still see her as a cursed reminder of betrayal.
  
  The Trinity:
  They know she exists—and fear what she might become. As Judge Cole’s secret daughter, she may be heir to more than just blood. They move carefully, preferring to manipulate rather than confront her directly, hinting she may be central to a dark legacy yet to unfold.

PERSONALITY & MIND

• Core Belief / Guiding Principle: “Rot don’t heal unless you cut it out.”
  She believes corruption must be excised, no matter how deep the blade must go.
• Vice / Flaw: Carries her rage like a hidden knife—silent, sharp, and deadly. It slips out when her control breaks, often at the worst possible times.
• Secret They'd Kill To Protect: She is the daughter of Jeremiah Cole—tied by blood to the Trinity’s curse. In their hands, she could become a vessel. A legacy. Or a weapon.
• Fear or Weakness: That she’ll become like him. Cold, hollow, powerful. Immortal in all the worst ways.

SKILLS & TALENTS

• ☑ Gunfighting
• ☐ Hand-to-Hand / Melee Combat (knives, tomahawks, brawling, ritual blades)
• ☐ Tracking / Hunting
• ☐ Horsemanship
• ☐ Healing / Medicine
• ☐ Stealth / Infiltration
• ☐ Charisma / Manipulation
• ☑ Ritual Knowledge / Spiritual Ties
• ☐ Repair / Tinkering
• ☑ Survival / Wilderness Living
• ☐ Strategy / Tactics

IDENTITY & INTIMACY

• Character's Sexual Orientation: Queer Demisexual
• Character's Romantic Preference: Unknown
• Relationship History: Engaged once to a southern senator’s son as a political tool. Broke it off the night she ran.

• Player's Kinks / Desires / Boundaries: ThisOneGal O/Os

NOTES / GM SECRETS (Optional — For GM eyes only, ie add by PM only)

• Is this character unknowingly tied to the immortality secret?
• Any prophecies, curses, or fated connections?

[Brittlby]

CHARACTER SHEET

BASIC INFO

• Player:Brittlby
• Name:Winnie Clementine Pickett
• Alias/Nickname:Sweet Clementine
• Age / Apparent Age:28
• Gender:Female
• Race / Heritage: British/ Former Courtesan
• Occupation / Role on the Ranch: Ranch Cook / Veterinarian to Livestock / Nurse in a Pinch…

ORIGINS & CONNECTIONS

• Background: Winnie Pickett had been forced to leave the UK suddenly in her mid teens, and again she pulled up stakes after a couple years in Boston just as suddenly. Clementine came out West chasing the false promises of a Braithwaite job placement front. They claimed to have a lucrative job as a school marm lined up for her. She didn’t deal them any straighter than they dealt her though, as she had it in her mind to get her legs wrapped around a wealthy land owner and marry her way into security and comfort. She got to wrap those legs around plenty of wealthy land owners once she arrived at her new job. Clementine was a resourceful creature though, and despite her posh accent and polished manners, she had always had a gift for knowing the right egos to stroke and the most profitable cocks to suck to thrive. Sweet Clementine became an infamous fixture at the upper end saloons and bordellos of the Braithwaites. They said, “Sweet Clementine’s mouth tangles Adler cock, Braithwaite asshole and new blood’s ears with equal aplomb.” Others said, “Ain’t no question whether she’ll empty your bottle, your wallet and you balls. Just a question of which o those gonna go first.” Sweet Clementine found that comfort and security she wanted real quick, growing to be the pet obsession of many men and the occasional woman wealthy enough to afford her charms. Unfortunately, many of her beaus found themselves besieged by tough luck… bankruptcy, violent interventions by Coulter gang raids or worse. No one would suggest Sweet Clementine had anything to do with the tragedies, one after another. After all, she was the one who kept losing good paying clients.Puzzlingly, a half a year ago Dorian Braithwaite “let her out of her contract” with a tidy stipend. Given that the Braithwaite’s were flesh merchants who wiped their asses with their contracts and not being noted as particularly charitable folks, many were curious as to why one of their Crown Jewels of their bordellos, Sweet Clementine, was allowed to “retire”.Eschewing Elysian City beyond the occasional visit for provisions, she made some sort of compact with Elias Connolly. Apparently she was as accomplished of a cook and horse doctor as she was a whore, Sweet Clementine remains in Vulture’s Reach. She works the Dead Horse Ranch, despite being comfortably wealthy enough to move on to her own homestead away from this place. What is it that is keeping her here?

• Connection to PCs: Sweet Clementine is jovial and warm. She is liberal with her affections and a good listener. Most who know her simply adore her, although the observant amongst the ranchers can tell there’s something off about her. There’s dead bodies buried underneath her rosy disposition.
• Family / Relations: At some point, one of the Braithwaites tried to track down some of her kin. The reports regarding the Pickett family were all quite ghastly. Truly sad that tragedy follows such a sweet young thing so closely.
• Ties to Other Factions: A high class courtesan for many years, she is intimately acquainted with most Braithwaites and Adlers and even the stray Coulter that came to burn their money at the Bordello. It has been suggested that in addition to making them a sizable amount of cash with her nocturnal habits, Sweet Clementine traded in valuable information about her clients. If true, it’s just awful that her employers would force such an innocent young lady to perform such dangerous work.

PERSONALITY & MIND

• Core Belief / Guiding Principle: “People are a collection of vices and push come to shove, they’ll always pull the cork, pull the trigger and not pull out of that cunt. Good folk are just self flagellating masochists or addicted to the praise of others. Everyone is full of snakes. Can’t trust no one in this world, least of all me.” Sweet Clementine has long been exposed to the darkest impulses of her fellow man and has always been let down when she was naive enough to trust. She does not fear dirtying her hands and “hates the sin, not the sinner”, though not in the Christian sense of the phrase. Greed… lust… pride… they make for tedious monsters. Weak men puppeteered by vice, never content. Her sin of choice is wrath. A righteous fury. And Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness…

• Vice / Flaw: Drinking / Substance Abuse
• Secret They'd Kill To Protect:Clementine isn’t as cynical as she plays and at her heart is an altruist. Unfortunately… she’s also an exceptionally dangerous and brilliant psychopath who has few compunctions when it comes sharing to her charitable nature with the world. She has secretly blackmailed, backstabbed and even poisoned clients and associates of clients in the pursuit of a “better tomorrow”. A world with a few less serpents can’t be a bad thing, right?

• Fear or Weakness: Winnie is a delicate flower, physically unimposing and 110 lbs. soaking wet. She has no combat skills to speak of, not knowing how to fire a pistol nor strong enough to fend off most attackers.

SKILLS & TALENTS

• ☐ Gunfighting
• ☐ Tracking / Hunting
• ☐ Horsemanship
• * Healing / Medicine
• * Stealth / Infiltration
• * Charisma / Manipulation
• ☐ Ritual Knowledge / Spiritual Ties
• ☐ Repair / Tinkering
• ☐ Survival / Wilderness Living
• ☐ Strategy / Tactics

IDENTITY & INTIMACY

• • Character's Sexual Orientation: bisexual
  • Character's Romantic Preference: polyamorous
  • Relationship History:Commitment is paid for by the hour.
  • Player's Kinks / Desires / Boundaries: (link your O/O's)

[mainsnoires]

@ThisOneGal @Brittlby 
Your characters are approved and look great. 
If you have any question direct me a PM. 

[ThisOneGal]

Awesome~

[Nowherewoman]

Thinking about this. Keeping an eye on. Possibly a half-breed bounty hunter type.

[mainsnoires]

Do it ! :)))

[Nowherewoman]

One thing I notice is missing from the list of skills is any kind of melee skill. Was that deliberate? There'd be plenty of Civil War officers with blade skills, and I was thinking of having MC be a swordswoman for Reasons(tm).

[mainsnoires]

Vulture's Reach GAME MAP

MAIN LOCATIONS

• Elysian Ridge
  
  • The main seat of political power. Grand courthouse, opulent mayor’s mansion.
  • Home to the Mayor, Judge, and Marshall.
  • Location of the mysterious "Silver Summit Masonic Lodge".
  • Opulence at the surface, corruption and strange whispers underneath.
• Dead Horse Ranch
  
  • A dusty but lively ranch west of Elysian Ridge, run by the kindly and mysterious Elias Connolly.
  • Home to a patchwork of misfits, ex-cons, mixed-blood natives, and lost souls.
• Dustveil
  
  • Known for black markets and secretive dealings.
  • The Braithwaite family has influence here.
  • The Coulter Gang settled here.
  • A lawless town, blood dries fast under Dustveil's sun.
• Gallows Pass (Ritual Site)
  
  • Where the immortality ritual took place.
  • Feared and forbidden.
  • Strange carvings and bloodstained altars remain.
• Coyote Hollow (Native Land)
  
  • Hidden native village, dwindling in population.
  • Constantly raided or threatened by the Coulters.
  • Keeper of old traditions and oral truths about the ritual.
• Braithwaite Trading Post
  
  • Fenced-in compound turned trade hub for bullets, skins, and secrets.
  • Run by hard-nosed merchants, the Braithwaite Family — loyal to profit, not people.
  • Deals in contraband and Native artifacts… some say cursed.
  • A frequent stop for ranch riders and scavengers alike.
• Adler Estate
  
  • Immaculate stone manor, guarded day and night.
  • Home of the Adler family — allies of the Mayor, enemies to most.
  • Hides a private militia and a private chapel… but no public soul.
  • Few get invited inside. Fewer come back the same.

[mainsnoires]

One thing I notice is missing from the list of skills is any kind of melee skill. Was that deliberate? There'd be plenty of Civil War officers with blade skills, and I was thinking of having MC be a swordswoman for Reasons(tm).

Great catch, 
I'm sorry for this mistake. The character sheet is now updated. @ThisOneGal @Brittlby please review your character sheet if necessary.

[Brittlby]

Great catch,
I'm sorry for this mistake. The character sheet is now updated. @ThisOneGal @Brittlby please review your character sheet if necessary.

I should be good? Only melee I can see her getting into would rely on stealth/backstabby. 

[mainsnoires]

I should be good? Only melee I can see her getting into would rely on stealth/backstabby.

I think you are all good 👍 
these skills noted with a star are thought to be exceptional, but it doesn’t mean you can’t use them at all, just as a normal being. 

[Nowherewoman]

Great catch,
I'm sorry for this mistake. The character sheet is now updated. @ThisOneGal @Brittlby please review your character sheet if necessary.

Awesome, thanks. Hope to have at least a draft sheet up as early as tonight.

[Nowherewoman]

Partial draft only- if she looks as if she might be a good fit, I'll finish it up.

CHARACTER SHEET

BASIC INFO

• Player:NowhereWoman
• Name:Ruth Walker
• Alias/Nickname: See below
• Age / Apparent Age: 25
• Gender: F
• Race / Heritage: Mixed Native
• Occupation / Role on the Ranch:Guide/Bounty Hunter

ORIGINS & CONNECTIONS

• Background: A mutt among half-breeds, Ruth is an outcast even among outcasts. Her father: a Japanese man from a disgraced Samurai family, hiding his shame among the crowds of Chinese railroad laborers on the West Coast. Her mother: a 'civilized' native washerwoman. How they met, fell and love, and conspired to produce a child would be a Western epic in itself.
   
  With her mixed blood comes a plethora of names. The nuns who taught her the basics of reading and writing, named her Ruth as part of their attempt to whiten her blood. Her father, who taught her the dance of the blade and some small secrets of his clan called her his Western Desert Flower. The secret name her mother (not as domesticated as some believed) gave her as she taught her daughter about the manitou, she tells no one. Many Natives call her something that translates roughly as 'Long-Knife-Many-Men.' Or just The Knife Witch.
  
  When her father was killed during one of the occasional anti-Asian riots that flared up in the cities, she and her mother fled. An odd wasting disease- or perhaps a curse- claimed her mother not long after, and Ruth began to drift. She ekes out a thin living as a drover, prairie guide, and bounty hunter since. A true mercenary, she'll take anyone's money, but a Native who finds themselves wronged by a white may never see a bill from her. Now she's in Vulture's Reach, drawn by odd half-visions, and stories of people like her being harassed by local outlaws...
  
• Connection to PCs:
• Family / Relations: (Include if you're secretly related to the Immortals...)
• Ties to Other Factions: The Natives know her reputation as an avenger of sorts for their people. She doesn't know much about the Coulters ATM, but they might have heard of her, and if they have, may believe she's come to make trouble for them.

PERSONALITY & MIND

• Core Belief / Guiding Principle: Always avenge a wrong.
• Vice / Flaw: Cold anger towards nearly everyone
• Secret They'd Kill To Protect: The 'True Name' her mother gave her as a child.
• Fear or Weakness: Hates crowds, dislikes thunderstorms intensely.

SKILLS & TALENTS (Narrative-based)
Mark 3 with an asterisk * if they are exceptional.

• ☐ Gunfighting
• * Hand-to-Hand / Melee Combat (knives, tomahawks, brawling, ritual blades)
• * Tracking / Hunting
• ☐ Horsemanship
• ☐ Healing / Medicine
• ☐ Stealth / Infiltration
• ☐ Charisma / Manipulation
• * Ritual Knowledge / Spiritual Ties
• ☐ Repair / Tinkering
• ☐ Survival / Wilderness Living
• ☐ Strategy / Tactics

IDENTITY & INTIMACY

• Character's Sexual Orientation: Sex is a thing that happens. It feels good, but it's not important. Doesn't matter who it's with, either.
• Character's Romantic Preference:Pretty vanilla.
• Relationship History: Sequential short-term monamorous. No one currently.

• Player's Kinks / Desires / Boundaries: NW's O/O

NOTES / GM SECRETS (Optional — For GM eyes only, ie add by PM only)

• Is this character unknowingly tied to the immortality secret? /li]
  
  • Any prophecies, curses, or fated connections?