Midnight Glow: The Bounty List(Signup!)

[Overcast]

Northwestern New Mexico, winter of 1880. A cold wind blows across the plains and mesas in the vast expanse of nothingness on the way to the nearest railroad town off the Navajo reservation. Three men ran a carriage, two riding to the side on horse, while one sat in the coach, they mutter smalltalk as they proceed on, one or more almost wishing they were criminals so they could be inside.

You have been captured. Taken by skilled lawmen who had caught you off your guard. You sit in a locked carriage, more like a cage with wooden reinforcement filled with other men and a few women, your transport dragged by horse where you will be turned in for the reward money. Your future, it seemed, would be decided in court, for some of you that may have been a death sentence already. For others it was a mild inconvenience that you hoped you could evade if you ran far enough away. Either way when the muttering man by the door finally picked the lock everything changed.

And soon there was no turning back.

-----------------------------------------
Welcome to Midnight Glow, where everybody dies in the first scene.
=D
Okay no, but a lot of NPC's are probably going to die to start. Mostly because I imagine many of your characters are not going to be outright murderer's which will make calling you terrifying criminals that people want more dead than alive to be a bit more difficult.

This may be a bit more character driven than Shining Dawn was, but I will provide setting notations for the sake of aid. And if it seems like that isn't working I am fairly good at railroading you guys to a more suitable storyline. I have one in mind, mostly based around what is about to happen. So you guys can give me feedback on which path you might enjoy more.

For now, the skeleton.

Name: Most start their lives with a name given by those who love us.
Alias: Some get a name given by something else.
Gender: Most of us were born with one.
Age: How long has your luck been running?
Occupation: Sometimes we still cling to what we built our lives on before they were taken away, or some like to call what they do something special.
Appearance: The bounty picture may not be perfect, but if someone saw you what would they expect?
Skills: What CAN you do?
Gear: Tools of the trade, among other things.
Personality: Word gets around, but who are you really?
Bio: Our pasts shape us, and can sometimes help us understand why it came to this.
Record: A list of crimes to help us get some perspective on that bio.
Other: A little extra never hurt.

Example:
Name: Ernesto Martinez
Alias: Rata Gorda, the Fat Rat.
Gender: Male
Age: 31 years.
Occupation: Scavenger
Appearance: A tall Mexican man at about 6'1 and 330 lbs of mostly gut, with a thick black hair cut raggedly around his head to something somewhat even and a thick beard that smells strongly of all the things that have touched it since his last known shower. Fond of a basic shirt, a poncho, some reasonable pants, and a pair of boots. He takes what he can and can sometimes look a little bit mismatched or ill fitted.
Skills:

• Lockpicker: By some odd miracle his fat fingers have some capable dexterity and he knows how to break through many a lock. He claims his father a locksmith who taught him how they work inside, but who can really tell if that is true.
• Big Man: Ernesto is aware he is big, he knows how to swing his weight to accentuate his size into many of his punches and can take a few on liberty of his fat alone. He also realizes that being bigger than people can make you intimidating and uses that as well.
• Expert Recycler: Ernesto makes his living mostly off of things he takes or finds, so in his searches he tries to get the most out of the most minuscule of things and then use it until there is nothing left but a faint nub. He knows how to use things and understands how some things can be used for other things.
• Shameless: Some would call this a negative thing, but it has saved him more than once.

Gear:On Him: Hidden hairpins, ill fitted clothes, poncho.
On the Guards: Proper lockpicks, blackjack, shotgun.
Personality: Ernesto is a humorous if crude individual who comes off fairly friendly until you get on his bad side. His trouble seems to lie in the fact that he seems to lack any kind of morality or scruples, simply doing things as he finds the need to do them and worrying about the consequences later. When aggravated he is often wordless and ruthless shedding nearly any of his carefree nature as before.
Bio: Ernesto was born in New Mexico just a year after the Mexican-American war. He was a reasonable kid, but his family was poor so they had to make the most from what they could get. The trouble was sometimes other people would want to make the most from what his family could get as well, and this was what got him started on scavenging. He pulled what loot he could get off the assailants before turning them into the law, but he started to feel the pull that said he could get more for his family by being this way. Honestly it was either that or become a priest, and he just never felt the pull of religion. He began breaking into places, robbing people, never doing much in the way of killing, but always taking nearly everything his large form could carry. When he got caught the first time his family was mortified, and kicked him out after he finished his sentence.

He continued on his way though, not fazed by time in jail nor by his disowning. This was the way he chose to live, and if people had trouble with that they should offer him a better way. He would go from town to town, creeping in places and sneaking away before the town got back to him but soon his large form became a target worth looking for as the puzzle pieces began to consistently point to him. He took to hiding out in the reservation and sneaking into towns at night to plunder, but this time he was caught in his escape. Dragged into a cart with all the rest of you.
Record:
Theft
Assault
Resisting Arrest
Armed Robbery
Extortion
Threatening to Commit Murder
Public Indecency
Other: Blah.

[mauve]

Placeholder. Gotta come up with something suitably criminal.

[batgirl]

Placeholder. I'm thinking a blacksmith with a long record of assault or a sassy bartender who poisons people and takes their gold.

[Overcast]

Blacksmith might be interesting, especially if he had a family history of the craft. Even by this point the usefulness of blacksmiths had begun to go downhill, interchangeable parts had shoehorned them out of the gun market entirely and many other markets as well. Forcing them essentially to the occasional old wagon repair and the shoeing of horses. A reduced sense of usefulness in a new world can be aggravating.

Bartender who poisons people seems like someone who had been working for a while and wanted the means to retire and chose a specific mark. Having a history of that isn't exactly good for the job market, and she'd likely only be able to get a place in new boomtowns where other shady businessmen were raising up make or break ventures.

[mauve]

Okay, so I'm thinking either a gambler/con man or a cattle rustler.

[Overcast]

Gambling was actually considered a fairly reasonable occupation in the old west if you had the intellect to always be ahead of the game, famous gunman Doc Holliday made almost all of his money as a gambler since his TB scared away people from his dentistry.

Con men came in all sort, the most theatrically prevailing one though was the Snake Oil Salesman. Which considering you might like to play your old doc again it might actually be a reasonable thing, seeing as he would be plenty qualified on going over people's head medically while he tried to sell them miracle drugs that were mostly just water mixed with your own urine.

Other con men did it the old fashioned way, clever tricks and lies that eventually led to people giving you their money. Often investment fraud since many people would enjoy a piece of the pie.

Cattle rustling was a fairly deplorable act since it messed with people's livelihood and could end up killing a family out of poverty. Similar in ways to horse theft in the way of severity. Back in the day they struck at ranches and cattle runs but with the advent of the railroad ranches became more centralized and runs made inefficient by just stuffing them in a train back east. So most rustlers about now were fairly capable train robbers as well.

[Inbred Chocobo]

I told myself that I was going to take a break from roleplaying, but this is making me want to make a cheating gambler with some terrible name like Jimmy the Card, who has like 20 counts of cheating at a game. Or maybe a person who had an opium den, drugged people, took all their money, then when they tried to recall the details informed them they lost it in gambling. Maybe not quite illegal, but hated all the same.

[Overcast]

Opium dens were often run by Chinese immigrants who either were addicted themselves or had a reliable quantity of people they knew needed the stuff. It was a sort of community of addict who supported each other on their addictions, but most people who you could scam good money off of usually kept to their own homes than risk their reputation at a den.

Meanwhile cheating in gambling had various effects, if you were a casino dealer it often led to complaints, which would make you the ace they kept if someone was winning too often. Usually this kept you from trouble. If you were a freelancer and targeted other casinos then you usually would find yourself testing the edges until someone came down to either kick you out or kick your ass. Cheating in saloon games was usually unlikely to go to a sheriff as much as to a disgruntled second player. If he was the third kind he might have more counts of murder than of fraud.

[Inbred Chocobo]

Name: Jim Daniel Vancock
Alias: Jimmy the Card
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Occupation: Gambler
Appearance: Jimmy still has the look of youth on him, someone you would more expect to see in highschool than out here. His hair is a dirty blonde color, though a little matted. He is skinny as a rail and doesn't weigh much of 150. He stands at 5'10', so only about average size too. The clothes he wears are tailored to fit him too, if they are a bit worn. His baby blue button up shirt goes well with his baby blue eyes, and the brown vest and belt with holster do well to break up the blue that is added in with his jeans. The boots he wears look like something you would fine a rich man buy rather than a rancher, but have a lot more age than something the former would wear. Currently he is without a hat, though quite a few wanted poster picture a wide-brim brown hat sitting on his head.
Skills:
- Bluff: Jimmy is an excellent liar, and is great at getting people to see his side when the truth is staring them in the face.
- Cheat: Jimmy doesn't like playing fair, he prefers to keep the odds in his favor. Whether thats keeping a few cards up his sleeve or knowing where to stand in a duel so the sun is in his opponent's eyes, Jimmy knows how to take advantage of a situation and stack the odds in his favor.
- Quick Draw: Jimmy has been called out quite a few times in cheating and gambling (and maybe sleeping with women he shouldn't), and thanks to his massive amount of dueling, Jimmy has learned the fine art of quick-drawing. He has become one of the fastest guns in the west out there. Hell there was one time he shot a guy while he was in the middle of the act with the man's wife.
Gear:
- On him: Nice comfortable clothes, a deck of cards, and a winning smile.
- On guards: A .45 Schofield revolver and holster, along with a box of ammo for it.
Personality: Jimmy tends to take things light-heartedly, and is always a big eager for a deal. He seems to always be smiling or peaceful, even when certain death is facing him. Its this cool front that throws people off his cunning and underhanded tactics, as he would make you feel like you are his best friend before the bullet hit you in the back of the head. He tends to put composure over all else, looking as if he stays calm even in the roughest of situations.
Bio: Jimmy started his life out as the youngest of the litter for Mr Johnson Vancock, owner of the Vancock Railroad Inc., a rather new railroad company looking to set itself up in the world. He took after his mom in his looks and charms, and his dad's ingenuity to get in through the world. Of course, being a rich kid and the youngest, he never really had any pressure for following in his father's footsteps so he never did. Instead he started using his looks and charms to go after the women and the booze and the gambling for fun. This kept up for a while until his father said enough is enough and threw him own, disowning him. (sleeping with the competition's daughter and them through a bad spin on that in the newspaper would do it).

Once Jimmy was thrown out, he did the only thing he knew how, drink, gamble, and sleep with as many women as possible. This got a lot of people mad at him, and out of need more than want he learned how to wield a pistol and use it quick, as most of the time the people coming after him wanted him dead and quick, so Jimmy had to learn and had to learn fast to be quicker. His skills developed, but so did his reputation.

The lawmen that have him now got lucky and caught him with his pants down... literally. Luckily he was worth more to them alive than dead so instead of being shot, he was thrown into the carriage.

Record:
Murder (Jimmy: Well, I've had my nights were I made a woman both happy and a widow.)
Arson (Jimmy: Now wait just a second here, I had no idea that the barrel there was full of gunpowder and would burn the house down.)
Resisting Arrest (Jimmy: What can I say? Everyone wants me for one reason or another.)
Public Indecency (Jimmy: This one isn't my fault. Her husband threw me into public naked, clearly he is the one to blame here.)
Other: *Smiles*

[Krylo]

Name: Jim Narstrom
Alias: Blankin' on this at the moment. If someone else wants to give him one that's fine.
Gender: Of the masculine proclivity.
Age: 26
Occupation: Shootin' Folks.
Appearance: Mostly a fresh faced kid, but he's already managed to get a few scars here and there from his line of work and he ain't a particularly small man. Ain't a particularly big one, either. He thinks a bit o' stubble makes him look closer to his age, so he don't shave much.
Skills: Shootin' Folks. Or to be a bit more explanatory:

• Dueling--There are times when a man needs to face down another man, look him in the eye, and then shoot it. Doin' so before he does it to you first requires a very quick and steady hand. Jim's got both.
• Dead eye--He can shoot the bridle out of the mouth of a runnin' horse at distance with a revolver without breaking its teeth. Well, many of its teeth.
• Rough and Tumble--Sometimes when all hell breaks loose you ain't got a gun to use, and sometimes you don't wanna risk killing someone with a bullet. During these times it takes a quick mind, a strong arm, and a good left hook to come through. Or a well placed kick to the manhood. Or the clarity of mind and lack of honor to use that there bar stool as a bat... or to bite man's finger off. Jim ain't above any o' that.
• Fast Shootin'--Sometimes there's six men against you. Sometimes you just hate someone so much you wanna shoot him six times. Most times the hammer of the pistol ain't quite quick enough for this. That is unless you've got the skill and the know how to pull it back manually just enough to give it the oomph to fire without locking it back. And do it fast. Jim can.
• Bondage--Well, when a bounty pays twice as much alive, its usually best to tie them up before you bring them in.

Gear:
On guards:

• Six Shooter--A rather new colt single action army chambered 44-40. A real killing machine.
• Lever Action Rifle--A good ole .44 Rifmfire Henry. His dad used it in the civil war before he died. It's a keepsake. And a deadly one.
• Shotgun--Nothing works better in close quarters than a nice 1878 double barrel hammer shotgun. Sawed off, of course, for easier maneuvering in buildings.
• LeMat Revolver--Another keepsake from his father, pulled off the corpse of a Confederate cavalryman. He rarely uses it, due to the antiquated loading and inaccurate firing. Though the grapeshot barrel is useful on rare occasion.
• Various Supplies--Some rope for tying folks up, climbing things, and general utility, a buck knife, some rations, and some basic camp supplies.

On Him

• Duster--You can't be a proper bounty hunter without one. And one of them thar fancy hats.

Personality: Jim always gives people two options. The easy way or the hard way. It's an unfortunate fact of life that most folks are too obstinate to take the easy way and end up pretty hurt at that. Though the fact he gives them an option at all, shows that he's not quite so gruff and rough as his exterior personality would seem to imply. On the other hand, he has seen a lot of death and fighting in his day, and when the bullets start flying all that compassion goes right out the window in the name of survival.

Bio: His dad died as a union soldier when he was seven, his mother didn't exactly make it so well without him and ended up with a monster of a man who ended up killing her when Jim was 12. Unfortunate for his step-dad then that Jim knew how to use his father's old Henry Rifle and put a bullet in the man's head. After that Jim fell in with some outlaws, killed folks, learned to shoot, etc.

Dead dad and abusive step father aside, though, Jim never quite agreed with his new family, and once he he was old enough to make it on his own--about 16--he cut out of there. With no marketable skills other than killing people, however, he quickly fell into bounty hunting and selling his gun to the highest bidder. There are a few rumors of unscrupulous bidders being on the wrong side of his gun if he didn't like a job, or his payment wasn't forthcoming, however.

He was mostly okay with the law, until he was sent to get a man he used to run with, made the mistake of bringing him back alive, and he got fingered as a gang member after hauling him back. That day did not go well, and suddenly he had a bounty on his own head, some of it for things he didn't even do. 'Course a good amount of it he did in his escape from the sheriff's office when he turned the man in... and then there's all the less than legal 'hired gun' things he's been doing since.

Record:
Murder-Multiple counts
Theft-Multiple counts
Horse Theft
Train Robbery
Armed Robbery
Murder of an Officer of the Law-Multiple Counts
Resisting Arrest
Aggravated Assault
Destruction of Public Property

Other: Jim can be a bit... vindictive when he doesn't like what someone's been doing. One report, for instance, claims that he walked in on a man beating a whore and shot that man six times in the space of mere seconds. Once in each knee, once in each elbow, and twice directly in his manhood... before calling a doctor. When asked he responded that he would have only shot him the five times, but he felt there wasn't any point leaving just one bullet in his revolver.