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Post by Aphelyon on Jun 16, 2017 13:35:58 GMT -5
The sun was setting over the town of Hickory on the 15 of March, 1949. It was a small but proud town, founded only in the last two decades and with a population of perhaps 300, most of which had come in the last year or so since the Mexican-American war had ended, opening up freer colonization of the lands to the west. Boasting fertile soil, abundant game, easy access to water, and a strategic position as a gateway between the east and west, Hickory considered itself a safe and lucrative place to live. That was, until the last month.
"Sheriff Montgomery!"
The frantic cry of a woman broke through the noise at the West Gate Inn, the larger and more popular Hickory's two taverns. The crowded, torch-lit room went silent as many heads turned to the 15-year-old girl, Nellie Slater, one of the waitresses who worked at the Inn. There had just been discussion of how the girl had been late for work that night, and concern that she may have fallen victim to the town's mysterious killer. Over the past month or so, four people had been killed, torn to pieces by some kind of creature that even the best hunters couldn't identify. Most thought a bear, judging by the size of the victim's wounds, while others thought wolves due to their ferocity. A few sighed in relief that the girl had finally made it to work, but quickly returned as they began to realize that her floral blue dress was soaked in blood. After a moment, Nellie caught her breath again, and announced to the room a confirmation of the townsfolks' worst fears:
"There's been another killing."
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Post by Aphelyon on Jun 16, 2017 13:39:09 GMT -5
Silas Jess Daughtry - "White Crow" "White Crow" is almost a bit of a folk legend to some of the people in the area of Kansas. Considered a bad omen and an outlaw, though he can never be proven guilty, they say that he rides in on a pale horse and death follows. There are many rumors, spoken in whispers, of who and what he may be, but the legends make him seem far more than he really is. Those who have never seen Silas before may not recognize him, even, as the White Crow- he is a small man standing at only about 5'8", with relatively narrow shoulders and boyish, almost feminine features; not at all intimidating in build. It is his hair, however, which marks him. Despite his youth, being 26 and looking even younger, his messy shoulder-length hair is pure white. It contrasts drastically against his skin, which is of a darker shade than most European-Americans', telling of his Native American heritage. His eyes are a stormy blue-gray in color, and could be described as cold and distant, though they are usually covered by a pair of glasses. His exact outfit changes with relative frequency (as necessitated by the fact that his clothes are frequently torn up during hunts), but one thing that does remain constant is his long black coat, which is patched in several places and is nearly as much a trademark as his hair. He carries a broad variety of weaponry, from multiple firearms to several knives, a crossbow, and a hatchet. His final trademark is his horse, a dappled gray mustang mare by the name of Gwenevere.
Eugene Ezra Montgomery age: 25
description: 5'11", dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes, looks perpetually bored. tanned from long days in the sun and generally quite put together with hair cut relatively short and clothing surprisingly in order most of the time. wears a gold ring in his ear but otherwise wears no jewellery or other non necessities. an idealist and pessimist all at once, Eugene is prone to flip flop between absolute faith and cynicism - the former mostly regarding situations and the latter people. has a strict moral code but struggles with sticking to it which is why he turned to law enforcement, it makes the violence available to him without immediately forcing him to break rules he sets down for himself. has been sheriff of his little town for a little over a year and is only now starting to make a name for himself outside of it. carries a collection of firearms and several knives but no 'outlandish weaponry' as he'd call it himself. rides a liver chestnut mustang stallion named Illiad
cue massive image [/font]
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jun 16, 2017 14:53:57 GMT -5
It had been only a little over a month ago that the first body had been discovered, ripped to shreds. Since then, another three had been found in the same, nauseating state. Nobody had answers and the small town of Hickory was growing more and more fearful by the day. Nobody strayed alone after nightfall. Nobody spoke of death as if it were a punchline. Nobody spoke of it at all. Most frustratingly of all, nobody was trying to kill it. Eugene had been looking into the deaths since the very first one, but it was leading nowhere. Only townspeople were dying.
The hysterical voice of Nellie Slater, a young girl he knew the town had feared for tonight, brought him away from his thoughts and his drink. He looked her over, the look on her face and the blood dying her dress red confirming what they were all thinking. And then she spoke, and if the scene before them hadn't been declaration enough, her words certainly were. A murmur ran through the crowd, punctuated by the odd outburst of grief or rage or fear. Four - no, five now - killings were not enough to desensitise them.
"Sit," he heard Maggie, one of the older women in town, say, pulling Nellie towards her and plopping the girl down on the chair she'd occupied previously. "Are you okay? Any of this blood yours?"
Eugene had dozens of questions demanding to be asked, but he simply made his way over silently and sat down on one of the free chairs, watching the girl intently. He'd let Maggie make sure she was still in one peice and then see what answers he might get. Hopefully more than he'd gotten thus far.
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Post by Aphelyon on Jun 17, 2017 10:36:09 GMT -5
Nellie's eyes were glazed and expression blank as she allowed Maggie to pull her into a chair. For a moment she crossed her hands in her lap, but she retracted them quickly as they touched the still-warm, very wet blood on her skirt. She shook her head as Maggie questioned her, appearing dazed and not saying another word. The bar was quiet now, the loudest sounds only the whispered concerns and theories of its patrons and the occasional clink of glasses on the wooden tables as they attempted to find comfort in their drinks. Outside the shuttered windows, the night was quickly settling in. The bar would be full the whole night, that was for sure- no one in their right mind was going to risk trying to get home in the dark now.
"So, whozit this time?" asked the bartender- an older man named Gordon, with a thick country accent and graying hair- who leaned forward on the counter to look at the two women and the sheriff.
Nellie remained silent for a moment, and it almost seemed as though she didn't hear him. Gordon opened his mouth to repeat the question, but the girl cut him off with a quiet response. "I-I'm not quite sure," she murmured. "I didn't get a good look, I ran when I realized what happened." She trailed off for a moment, a distant look in her green eyes. "I think it might have been that man Wallace, though. Wallace Farley? The one from, um, Illinois, I think. He was staying here while he was in town."
Gordon nodded, a distinct frown on his lined face. "Can' say I'm particularly surprised. That boy did have a big head on his shoulders and no fear of walking alone, even with the killins." He sighed, turning to Eugene. "Thoughts, Sheriff?" he asked, raising one bushy eyebrow. "Maybe you should take some people- fer protection, ya know?- and go check out the crime scene before the crows get it. Someone can get Mr. Barton to fetch the body as well." Joe Barton acted as both the town's pastor and, when needed, mortician. And his secondary services had been needed far more than anyone was comfortable with in the past month.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jun 19, 2017 14:51:19 GMT -5
( I'm so sorry omg I was so sure I'd replied already ^^'' give me a bit and I'll have a response ready for you. )
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jun 19, 2017 15:19:46 GMT -5
Eugene watched Nellie carefully as she spoke. He considered questioning her on what she'd seen and heard at the scene of the crime but he doubted he'd get any new information. She wasn't the first to find a body and she wasn't the first to answer questions. He was nearly certain she wouldn't be the first to have a breakthrough that would finally lead to the capture and killing of whatever it was that was hunting the people of his town. He frowned for a few more moments, watching her intently, then nodded decisively, turning to Gordon.
"I like the way you think," he said, pointing to Gordon. "Just one problem - who's going to be stupid enough to come with me?" he said this to the crowd, not the man. It wasn't a question or even an order. It was a challenge. That was the only way he'd get men to volunteer and while he'd go out alone, were he forced to, he didn't want to. Reckless he may be, but he didn't have a death wish. If there was something he could do to put his death off a little longer, he'd do it.
To his surprise and relief alike, two men rose. Both were young men; unsurprising, really. They were the ones who were angry, not afraid. Warner Joyce and Jesse Stevens were their names and if Eugene had bet on two men to come forward, he'd have put his money on them. They were the only ones in this town as angry and vengeful as he and in that moment, he couldn't have been more grateful. "Guess that's us, Sherrif," Warner said with a somewhat sheepish shrug. Eugene shot him a grin. "Guess it is."
Eugene stood and joined the two men, his grin fading as he walked. They really were stupid, the lot of them. "See if you can get Nellie into clean clothes," he said to Maggie. "Can't be very comfortable, that. As for Mr. Barton, we'll pass by him, see if he is capable of joining us. It's a shame to say, but it appears we'll be needing help again."
( I don't like this at all but I've kept you waiting long enough so I decided not to leave it for a few hours so I can actually revise it properly. )
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Post by Aphelyon on Jun 25, 2017 17:32:44 GMT -5
(yo sorry I vanished for so long, things got kind of... hectic, there for a few days. I worked almost double my usual hours and not at times that made for opportune roleplaying, among other things lol. I'm back now though. Hope you didn't lose interest T-T)
(In reference to the rp.... hmmmm. Not entirely sure what to do here. And I have to figure out a way to introduce my main character as well.)
The town's small chapel was located only just down the road from the inn- something difficult not to accomplish in Hickory, seeing as it only consisted of one road. For the most part it looked like any other, except for the large wooden cross above the door and two very small stained-glass murals on either side of it. Due to the stained glass alone, it was probably the most expensive building in the town.
Joe Barton, of course, didn't live here. He lived in a small tenement just down the road (like everything else); however, he always his mornings and evenings in the church, and his middays maintaining the small graveyard outside of town. Though, lately he had spend more time in the chapel for fear of the beast which plagued the town.
Thus, it was no surprise that Mr. Barton was in the church when the three men from the inn arrived. He looked up from sweeping at first with a look of surprise, which quickly faded to one of morbid seriousness.
"Sheriff," the balding, gray-haired man greeted with a slight incline of the head. He glanced to Eugene's company before fixing his gaze back on the sheriff. "You three look to be on a mission, and I take it it's not to pray. Another attack?"
(sorry it's a bit short D: )
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jun 25, 2017 19:20:09 GMT -5
it's cool, I get it. I'd still be happy to continue this! I'm going to be really busy until early to mid july so I'm not sure how active I'll be or how long you'll have to wait for responses but I'll be back when its over.
I'll get to work on a response now but you might not get it for a while, it's really late and I really should be in bed lol
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Post by Aphelyon on Jun 25, 2017 19:44:21 GMT -5
(that's fine! And even if it wasn't I have no room to criticize lol. Just reply when you get time, don't worry yourself too much about it ^^ and if you need to do shorter replies for the time being just to be able to fit them in there, that's fine too, I understand.)
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jul 1, 2017 13:43:35 GMT -5
( don't worry, mine will probably be about that length until things slow down a bit.
and yeah. any ideas? it could be that he's already at the scene, perhaps? I don't want to reply until I know what Eugene will see upon his arrival, but I should be here reliably for a few days so I'll reply as soon as we've got this all figured out. )
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Post by Aphelyon on Jul 2, 2017 8:46:27 GMT -5
(yeah he's most likely at the scene already. I suppose I'll get to work on a starter for him as well then lol)
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jul 2, 2017 9:55:30 GMT -5
alright, perfect! I'll work on a reply asap
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Jul 3, 2017 13:49:03 GMT -5
The trip was a short one, but dusk was already setting in by the time the three men arrived at the chapel. The door was unlocked, as usual, so the three of them stepped inside, Eugene leading the pack and his two companions falling slightly behind. This was his crusade, their formation told of that when none of them had said even half as much.
The pastor turned to face them and the change of his expression matched his words. That the townspeople were so quickly guessing attack when the sheriff appeared said a lot and Eugene didn't like it. It made him feel as if he were watching over helpless prey, not serving grown men, women and families. "Another attack," he said. "Wallace Farley, Nellie reckons. He was from out of town, so at it wasn't one of us this time."
That he'd even had the thought, let alone said it out loud, was even worse. It had come to a point where he was wishing for specific men to go next. What did that say about him, he wondered. Nothing good, he'd wager, and no doubt Joe Barton would agree. "We're heading out there now. We were hoping you'd join us, take a look at the body and oversee the transport."
( sorry this is so short x-x )
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