Hawke.
Member
On may 1st 1850 Mister Thomas Eckles hereby agrees to furnish good strong wagons and at least three yoke of oxen or horses to each, in order to travel from Independence Missouri, across the plains of Nebraska, first stopping in Fort Kearny just across the river Platte, through Wyoming, across the mountains of Idaho, into Oregon. Mister Eckles will also provide rations in the form of meal, hominy, salt and pepper, bacon, beans, sugar, and flours so that each man may have three pounds of provisions. Each man shall supply his own bag for his linens, plates and utensils, as well as a firearm, ammunition, and powder, as well as whatever else is needed for his family. Mister Eckles will have the privilege of leading the train and shall be required to stop for rest at least once in a week. The trip shall take no longer than six months
this might get pretty rough, but we still need to stay within guidelines. Ignorant characters are allowed to be ignorant within reason, but that will have consequences, we won’t allow slurs, and it isn’t welcome within OOC spaces. Assault may be implied but never explicit, and if it’s going to happen between two player characters it must be discussed beforehand, though it’s better if it didn’t happen at all.
Character conflicts are welcome and even encouraged!, but keep it out of ooc, you’re allowed to question the wagon leader! If your character thinks it’d be better to cross the River somewhere safer suggest it! That doesn’t mean that he’ll listen every time.
Your actions will have consequences!
this might get pretty rough, but we still need to stay within guidelines. Ignorant characters are allowed to be ignorant within reason, but that will have consequences, we won’t allow slurs, and it isn’t welcome within OOC spaces. Assault may be implied but never explicit, and if it’s going to happen between two player characters it must be discussed beforehand, though it’s better if it didn’t happen at all.
Character conflicts are welcome and even encouraged!, but keep it out of ooc, you’re allowed to question the wagon leader! If your character thinks it’d be better to cross the River somewhere safer suggest it! That doesn’t mean that he’ll listen every time.
Your actions will have consequences!
You know I’d be here as an aforementioned Co Author!
Additional info:
The vibe we're going for with this roleplay idea is that we'd like to capture the turmoil and hardships of the western life as a caravan attempts to travel northwest. The expected trajectory of the trip will be to head up the Oregon Trail in a normal route, with descriptions of landscape, weather, and locations provided along the way (to avoid giving players homework! You don't need to know what it looks like on the trail. Believe me, I'll look forward to describing the American west for you -- I love nothing more than I love the landscapes of the west). The three co-authors expect to take up the burden of a "game master" role; that is, controlling the environment and the potential results of actions characters take. Consequences are expected -- everything from what paths we choose to take to what food sources we choose to use. With that being said, the Oregon Trail is expected, but the characters can choose to take a different path if they want.
We hope to gather a number of characters to fulfill a variety of important roles in the caravan -- everything from hunters to cowboys to cooks to body guards and more. Anyone who might be interested in going west. A wide variety of skills are needed to survive a trip like that, and we'd like to see characters to fill those roles and make decisions to impact the trajectory of the story being told. Ultimately, we'd like to allow the players to have their characters collaborate however they like for things like when to stop and camp, whether or not to take certain paths, and whether to fight or run or visit trading posts. Some direction will be given, but ultimately, players will determine what happens next with their actions.
Multiple characters can definitely overlap! One cowboy can't take care of a herd of cattle, one cook handling a whole caravan would be a hard job, and one scout or tracker would have a whole lot of ground to cover. This could also be played for fun character interaction, collaboration, and possibly, conflict! We look forward to seeing characters developing around one another, forming bonds (and potentially rivalries or enemies), and figuring out how to survive the journey together. For important jobs that don't necessarily end up filled, NPCs can be provided.
As mentioned before, being a game about an expedition west, we can expect this to get pretty gnarly at times. River crossings are dangerous and bandits are a real thing to fear. Animals can be problematic, sickness and infection is a threat, and ultimately, things will be grungy and not altogether soft. That being the case, we'll want to make sure we're communicating and making sure we don't accidentally get into territory that upsets anyone too much, so that'll certainly be a discussion we'll have. Also, in the interest of communication, character death is totally optional! People die, but you don't have to be okay with your character(s) dying if you don't want them to, and if you don't want them to, they won't.
Name: Judas “Kid” Cloud
Age: between 23 and 24
Description or image: Small of stature, Judas Cloud has freckles, tan skin, light brown eyes, and wavy, thick shoulder-length red-brown hair. He has sharp cheekbones and a narrow, aliquine nose. He only comes in around 5’4”, and couldn’t possibly weigh more than 100lb soaking wet— and more than a rudimentary glance at his frame in jeans and a loose button-up would explain why.
Judas doesn’t hide his identity well, and solely by virtue of not caring to: He can typically be found in a button-up covered by a dark red vest, loose jeans, a blue bandana, and a gun belt, all of which do him the favor of hiding his feminine frame. Even so, in camp or in the water — any time he may shed the vest — he can’t be bothered to hide his birth gender, and in fact can’t even be bothered to button his shirts all the way. He seems not to care enough to correct one who might refer to him as ‘little lady’ or ‘she,’ either. He took the name Judas all the same, and will refer to himself in the masculine— but when asked, seems to not be entirely clear on what he feels himself to be. Perhaps both, perhaps neither.
Background: Born and raised under cottonwood trees on thin soil, Judas Cloud was bred into a hard southwestern life. He keeps the exact circumstances of his early life close to his chest, but what is certain is that his birth name was certainly not Judas Cloud— and he doesn’t hide that fact, but won’t explain who he was before.
He made a name for himself after leaving home as a mustanger, Cowboy, and— most prominently— an outlaw. He was first spotted among the Paiute and occasionally other groups of indigenous folk before striking off on his own, a capable horseman with a penchant for trouble. Never one to sit still, Cloud left his original home to strike out in New Mexico, Arizona, and the northern territories, catching and selling horses and cattle.
He’s a boy easily persuaded to participate in one escapade or another and a sort who likes hoarding money. Between that and his familiarity with native languages, Cloud wasn’t a hard sell on traveling with a wagon train.
Skills: Horsemanship, shooting, cow punching, and plains sign language
Other:
Roleplay sample:
A high-pitched howl of elation bounced off the peach-orange cliffs. A stray raven took flight from the cottonwood trees where, down below, a horse raced by on the sand in a flash of grey. A second bay flash followed right at the first horse’s hip, but by then, the match was already won.
There was a second loud hoot as the grullo’s rider wheeled his horse around with a broad grin. The second rider— a young man with a narrow face and indigenous features— came up behind him with an amused grin. The brown-haired boy on his grullo shook his head with a crooked smile. Then he lifted his hands and began signing, speaking as he did. “You knew… from the start that I was going to win,” Judas told him.
The boy beside him just shook his head, no less amused. Then he signed back, speaking in his own language— not Paiute, but familiar enough that Judas thought he’d get the hang of it before they parted ways. ‘I knew that starting out, yes,’ he signed back. He never took his eyes off Judas. ‘I figured you would win. You can name your prize.’
Judas cocked his head back and smiled at him, holding his gaze for a few long moments as he thought about it. Any prize, he supposed. He hummed and leaned back in the saddle for a few long moments, then just lifted his hands again. Then, again, he paused.
He turned back to his friend. “Well…” then he started signing again. “I think… all I want… is to keep you here, for the afternoon. Stay here… just for a few hours with me.” He stopped and looked back at him, chin tilted down, to watch his expression carefully. The other young man cocked his head back with an interested grin of his own. Then, slowly, Judas started signing again. “…unless you’d rather shoot me.”
That earned him a laugh, and he shook his head. Then he started to sign back. ‘I’ll stay here this afternoon,’ he replied. ‘But not because you won. Your wagon trail will leave in the morning, and I’ll not waste the time.’
Judas just glanced past him and nodded, then pulled his horse a little closer. “I appreciate that.”
Wagon leader; Thomas Eckles (Hel)
Cowhands; Judas Cloud (Sleipnir)
Cooks; Zhong Lian (Hel)
Scouts; Reid Atwater (Hawke)
If a role you’d like isn’t on here feel free to ask in the “other” section for it when you’re filling out your CS! There can always be multiples.
Character limit is up to you, but don’t take on more than you can handle!
Character sheet:
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Description OR image:
Background:
Skills:
Rp sample: (spoiler please)
Other:
Cowhands; Judas Cloud (Sleipnir)
Cooks; Zhong Lian (Hel)
Scouts; Reid Atwater (Hawke)
If a role you’d like isn’t on here feel free to ask in the “other” section for it when you’re filling out your CS! There can always be multiples.
Character limit is up to you, but don’t take on more than you can handle!
Character sheet:
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Description OR image:
Background:
Skills:
Rp sample: (spoiler please)
Other:
Click Tabs on Left + Possible Scroll
- Reid AtwaterScoutAliasNoneAge26 years oldGenderMaleRaceMixedHeight6' 1"Weight200 lbsContributionsScouting, Hunting, Tracking, Minor first aidHomestateKentucky
- BackstoryChildhoodBorn to an indigenous woman and a white man, Reid Atwater spent most of his life on a plantation in eastern Kentucky he never knew his real mother, and grew up with a woman who couldn’t love him, and a father who fed him a fire and brimstone version of Christianity. Growing up, Reid often felt like he was walking on eggshells. Avoiding the wrath of his parents often took him to play in the river near his home, climbing up steep rock faces and splashing through cold water.
Teenage YearsReid’s teenage years consisted of Bible studies, going to church, helping the people in his town as his father attempted to mold him into someone he could be proud of. But Reid fell into addiction before anything could be made of him, gambling and drinking consumed him, he was slowly drowning in debt and addiction. Debts he owed to dangerous people.
Hardly a son to be proud of.
He wasn’t sure his “mother” was capable of loving him. But he was not her child, he was her husbands bastard. And that’s who would take care of him.
Young AdulthoodOver time he began to become more confident in his skills, going off alone, wandering farther and farther til he decided it was time to move on in search of bigger quarry, better bounties that would pay his debts off quicker.
He made his way back up to Missouri, taking bounties and running wagon trains. He knows the environment well, and has considerable experience surviving in them.
Land near Reid's home - HenryReid's DonkeyAge13 years oldGenderMaleBackgroundHenry is a stubborn old mule, but very reliable and sure footed. What he lacks in speed he makes up for in maneuverability. "Slow and steady winds the race" as they say, and steady steps are safe steps. Unlike many horses, and any oxen, Henry excels in traversing rough, rocky, and mountainous terrain.
- MiscellaneousCargoReid travels with only his mule and what the mule can carry, his possessions are pretty limited. He carries a small repair kit, his weapons, some hard tack for between mealtimes or going out scouting, and a few other essentials.WeaponsReid favors a rifle and revolverAppearanceReid is tall for the time, standing well above average at 6’1”, he’s broad shouldered and muscular, with dark skin and hair, his eyes are a deep, forest green. Reid doesn’t often stand up straight, slouching forward a bit instead. His hair is jaw length and his facial hair is only ever little more than stubble.Reid's Gear
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