Shining Dawn

[Overcast]

San Francisco 1884. Mid June and the sun is burning high in the sky making damn sure you know it is around. The city is filled with problems in need of heroes to solve, corruption plagues the government, crime creeps through the streets, a cholera epidemic started up recently, but you aren’t here for none of that. Heroism is best left to the officials assigned to it, or the locals who give half a damn about this place. You, you’re here for a job opportunity. A messenger found you a few weeks back (for some this might have been an easy task, for others an adventure in itself) and handed to you a small card addressed to you, if not quite to any address in particular other than your person. He seemed in quite a hurry to run off but you probably didn’t need someone to read it off for you anyway,

“Salutations.

You may find yourself wondering why, wherever you may be, that you have been approached by my reliable messengers. I am Mr. Howard Watts and I represent a few notable powers to the East who have staked a certain interest in Western investments. As of recently an incident has occurred with a particular investment and I am in great need of those who might be able aid me in rectifying this problem. I assure you that the job will pay quite well, after all with your talents it can be assumed I am paying for quality. You may find me in San Francisco at the date and times on the back of this card. If you have interest in being a part of this please to try to arrive by that time, my messengers worked quite hard making sure they got this to you soon enough for you to comfortably think it over.

Sincerely,

Howard D. Watts

PS: Please do keep this to yourself, one of the expectations in dealing with the incident is secrecy, inability to follow may cost you more than you realize.”

The price had remained ambiguous, but it was promising. The dedication of the messenger, the background of Mr. Watts and particularly the light threat at the end said that there might really be something to be gained. Either way you were here now, sitting in wait at the offices of Howard Watts as some other prospects gathered, in his office as his assistants alerted him of every arrival he would go over the notes of each hireling carefully, keen to see the response he had gotten and who he might turn away…

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Alrighty welcome to Shining Dawn, the scene above started out as a pitch but as I kept going over it the thing kept turning into an introduction post, finally I just stuck with it because unlike some situations there is really nothing for me to explain when it comes to the setting. As such I feel like this is still startlingly bare, which makes me just as impatient to start getting into the actual story. So have yourself a skeleton to get the ball rolling.


Name: A reputation usually comes with some words to stick it to.
Gender: Most of us were born with one.
Age: How long has your luck been running?
Occupation: What do you do?
Appearance: How do people see you?
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.
Other: A little extra never hurt.

Example:
Name: Howard D. Watts
Gender: Male
Age: 45
Occupation: Investment Representative
Appearance: From head to toe Mr. Watts seems to take the appearance of the unassuming middleman. His bowler cap lies gently on his head hiding the whispy leftovers of his hair ravaged by time and hereditary balding. His dark eyes stare through thin bifocals that tend to hang a bit too far down his nose, a hooked thing that dances just above his thick mustache. His clothing, typically business suits at any time, cling desperately to his somewhat tall gaunt form and are almost always impeccably clean. He seems to emanate a sort of frailty and professionalism at all times that makes him seem none too difficult at the right times. Most notable though is his stare, which seems to maintain itself without blinking for an unreasonable amount of time, almost to the point of being disconcerting.
Skills:

• Accounting: Number crunching is almost a way of life to Mr. Watts, because the most important thing to his investors are simply what they get out of a deal.
• Law: While he may still be miles from places that don't deal with their problems using the local militia he makes his living off of contracts and if anyone has earned his place as a Notary it is Howard.
• Negotiations: Getting a deal is more than just calculating the numbers it is convincing the right people to the right price. With an awkward stare and a long enough time it is difficult to refuse the man anything.
• Logistics: In the end nearly anything that doesn't go to paying him ends up back east, sometimes this takes a bit of planning to get it out there but when all the numbers and connections come together it isn't much of a problem.

Gear: Bifocals, collection of fine suits, eloquent pen with ink well, bowler, pocketwatch, and a box of cigars.
Personality: Mr. Watts is all work and no play, mostly because he likes his work. It is difficult to see him at any time getting away from his work save for sleeping. Eating and smoking a perfectly fine things to do while working. Of note though is his perfectionism, it is difficult for him to accept when he has done any sort of wrong and he will go very far out of his way to make sure that his reputation is sterling and is one of the easiest ways to make him lose his cool.
Bio: Might keep this blank for now...
Other: This too.