Thread: Onyx Landing Character Thread

Character Name Eli Wilde Aliases Elizabeth Wilde Gender Female passing as male Profession Pony Express Rider Apparent age 20 year old young man mid-twenties woman if she dresses in feminine clothing Appearance Eli wears rough clothes, often torn and dirtied from long stints on the trail, though you'll never catch him without his duster and cowboy hat. Always clean shaven, his fellow Riders tease him for his baby face and inability to grow a beard. Short and slight, Eli stands at 5'6 and is razor thin with a face quite a few people have described as feminine, usually right before receiving a haystack to the jaw. Anyone who thinks his thinness is frailty will quickly find out it's all muscle. Personality Eli is shy and quiet, yet competent. She tends to keep to herself and enjoys long days alone on the trail. She prefers the company of animals to people, but that's usually because she doesn't have to pretend when it's just animals around. She was born as and identifies as female, but found that as a woman, her options were limited. Thus, her public persona is that of a young man, a few years younger than she actually is. She's afraid of losing her job if she's ever found out. Recent history Elizabeth Wilde was the daughter of a ranch hand in the Colorado Territories, growing up herding cattle and wrangling horses. She caught the attention of one of the sons of the ranch that employed her father, and found herself pressured to give into his demands lest her father lose his job. After, she fled, vowing to follow her own path and never be a victim again. She quickly discovered that her own path required her to pass herself off as a man. She cut her hair and changed her clothing, and thus Elizabeth became Eli. The Pony Express was more than happy to take her on once she demonstrated her skills to them. Though telegraph wires were becoming more and more prevalent, there were a few select towns in which the new technology seemed to never work not to step on the DM's world-building toes, but I was thinking it could be interesting if the supernatural somehow interferes with telegraph technology, hence the Pony Express sticking around longer than it did historically. So she agreed to take those routes, and has only recently arrived in Onyx Landing where she's waiting for the latest mail to arrive so she can ride back east. Notable relationships Eli doesn't have many in town, but Jeremiah Brown, head of the post in St. Louis, is as close to a father as she has at the moment, and Michael Brunswick, the Colorado rancher who had his eyes on her, has put out a reward for her 'safe' return. Strengths, talents, and points of pride Excellent with animals. A talented wrangler and horseman. Skilled at survival and moving quickly through the prairie lands. Fast and athletic. Good with her hands when it comes to building things, and she likes to see the good in people. A good shot with a rifle, but not so great with a handgun. Weaknesses, detriments, and points of improvement Shy because she doesn't want her true identity found out. She never learned to read or write beyond her own name, and she's ashamed of that fact. She's got no head for numbers, and can be a little too trusting of people at times. She's no good in a close fight, whether with a gun or fists. Include a background story for your character atleast 1 paragraph and pick three of the following questions to answer about your character. I feel like a lot of the background is covered in recent history above, so I'll try to avoid being repetitive. Eli has worked for the Pony Express for nearly 5 years, after running away from the ranch where she was raised and the unwanted attentions of the oldest son of the ranch owner. In her time working for the Pony Express, she's done hundreds of runs through sometimes dangerous territory, and has relied on her wits and her innate quickness to get her through. As she's gotten older, she's thought occasionally about settling down and leaving her Eli persona behind, but she still can't imagine giving up the freedom she feels when she's on the trail. She's seen a lot of strange stuff, especially on the run to Onyx Landing, and as such is rather superstitious. I hope you don't mind me answering all the questions - helps me wrap my head around the character! What is your greatest love? Being out on the trail, especially with her favorite horse Daffodil. What is your greatest regret? That she can't go home and see her family, and any hardship she thinks she might have brought on her family through her choice to run away. What makes your skin crawl? Snakes. And some of the tales she's heard around the campfire while on the trail - a few of them hit too close to home to just be stories. What fascinates you? Nature. Except for snakes, of course. But the sheer variety of creatures nature produces and nature's ability to survive even in the harshest of environments is fascinating to her. What are your habits? She has a number of small superstitions she follows as long as they're practical. Always back your horse out of the barn rather than lead it out, so it won't spook on the trail. Keep a rabbit's foot in her pocket for good luck between towns. Always carry sage on her to ward off evil spirits. When in town, she enjoys card games and gambling. She prefers to sleep out under the stars, weather permitting. What are your secrets? She doesn't have many, save the big one - Eli is really Elizabeth. Are you rational or passionate? She leans towards the rational side, but that's mostly because her life hasn't been one where she can give into her passions. Are you sophisticated or superstitious? Definitely superstitious - she's seen a lot of strange things out on the trail, and she's not sure how much is her own imagination and how much was real. As a result, she tends to be fairly superstitious and open-minded towards talk about the supernatural. How strong is your faith? Eli isn't a good Christian. Attending church hasn't been high on her list since she was a young woman. But she is spiritual and believes in things we can't see or touch. How self-confident are you? It depends on the setting. Out on the trail Eli is very self-confident. Get her in town, however, and she's quiet and shy, preferring to keep her own company than risk exposing the truth about her, or demonstrating how uneducated she is to the fancy townspeople. What drives you into the frontier? A sense of adventure and freedom. Back east, there were certain expectations of a young woman, even one as low on the social ladder as she was. She can be who she wants to be in the frontier, even if that means living a double life.