Protagonist (Red Dead Online)

Protagonist (born between 1838-1880) is the playable character of Red Dead Online.
== Biography ==
=== Beginning ===
In 1898, one year before the events of Red Dead Redemption 2, the protagonist is arrested for murder and imprisoned in Sisika Penitentiary. Six months into their sentence and awaiting execution, their prison transport is intercepted by a group of armed men. Horley, their leader, escorts the player to his employer, the widow Jessica LeClerk.
Jessica reveals that the player was unfairly accused of murdering her husband Philip, who she suspects was actually killed by his business partners to take over the business. Jessica enlists the player's help in avenging Philip's death in exchange for proving their innocence. The protagonist was also introduced to JB Cripps, who helps them establish a new camp.
After the protagonist decides where Cripps should set up camp, Horley advises them to see Alden Carruthers at the nearest post office, then to visit a horse thief named Clay Davies to work for them as well. After seeing Alden, the protagonist is instructed to dispatch an outlaw gang that had recently robbed a stagecoach.
Afterward, the protagonist visits Clay and Clive Davies, and they are instructed to take their posse and steal horses that Clay had intended to target from other thieves. After the protagonist brings the horses to the stables, Clay decides to give them one of the stolen horses as a gift. Clay also tells the protagonist that Horley asked him to inform them that Cripps finished setting up their camp and to visit it.
=== Working for the Law ===
Sometime later, the protagonist meets up with Horley in Blackwater and is introduced to Old Man Jones. The protagonist's need for money is mentioned, and Old Man Jones suggests that the protagonist should find work with the sheriffs. Horley agrees and tells the protagonist to aid the sheriffs of Blackwater, Tumbleweed, and Valentine.
In Tumbleweed, Terrence O'Dowd begs Sheriff Freeman to rescue his wife Allison from an outlaw gang hiding at Twin Rocks. However, Freeman is unable to help him and suggests that O'Dowd looks to the protagonist and their posse for aid. The group attacks the gang's hideout, wiping out most of the outlaws before entering the building Allison is being held in.
However, it is revealed that Allison had, in fact, run away from her husband, whom she loathes, to be with Cliff, the outlaw leader. If the group decides to aid the couple, they escort them during their escape while fighting off O'Dowd's men. If the group refuses to help them, they kill Cliff and hogtie Allison, taking her back to Terrence whilst fighting off the remainder of Cliff's gang.
At Painted Sky, Clinton Arnsdale, after failing to get Sheriff Malloy to help him, hires the protagonist and their posse to capture a thief named Bob Crawfish, as well as Crawfish's closest associates. After capturing Crawfish and his associates, Arnsdale instructs the posse to throw Crawfish and his associates onto the train tracks near Riggs Station.
After learning of the whereabouts of where his stolen belongings are from Crawfish, Clinton asks the posse to kill the thieves by leaving them on the tracks. If they do so, the oncoming train kills Crawfish and his men. However, the group can refuse and rescue them if they wish. When meeting the Police Chief Oswald Dunbar, the protagonist and their posse are hired to recapture a notorious con-man who managed to trick a deputy into releasing him. The group attacks the gang’s hideout in Pike’s Basin, hogtie the con-man, and kills off the pursuing gang members.
Upon nearing the end of the canyon, the con-man pleads to the group to let him go in exchange for money and to have them pass off a corpse as his own to trick the police chief. If refused, the protagonist takes the con-man to Dunbar. If accepted, the con-man leads the group to a money stash, and a corpse is passed off as him. Alternatively, if the group accepts the con man’s money, they can kill him after they’re led to the stash and can give his corpse to the police chief.
=== Gunslinger Path (High Honor) ===
The protagonist is instructed by Horley to meet Tom Davies, a US Marshal, near Manzanita Post. Marshal Davies tells them of his intentions to bring a Del Lobo gang leader, Alfredo Montez, to justice. However, the Marshal is willing to use more unethical means to accomplish this and therefore looks to the protagonist and their posse for help. The Marshal has the group meet Lee, a hunter living in Manzanita Post who is willing to aid Davies in the mission.
Lee leads the group across the forest, stealthily dispatching many Del Lobos before finally finding and attacking their main camp. After the group kills Montez, Lee decapitates his corpse and brings his head to Davies while the group escorts him. Despite the initial success, Davies informs them that they hadn't killed Alfredo, but rather his brother Jorge. Despite this Davies still pays them for the job and tells them to meet him at Van Horn if they're looking for more work.
When meeting Davies in Van Horn, he and Josie Dawson inform the protagonist and their posse that the Del Lobos had taken over the town's saloon and had a camp in the hills and that Montez may be in either location. The group raids both areas and kills the lieutenants before regrouping with Davies, who informs them that Montez was spotted leading his gang on a caravan. The group and Davies attack the caravan and capture Montez, bringing him to Emerald Ranch. Davies pays the group before parting ways with them, taking Montez to Valentine.
Old Man Jones contacts the player and meets them outside Valentine, where he informs them that the Del Lobos gang is planning to attack the town in order to rescue Montez. After meeting Davies in the Valentine Sheriffs' office, Sheriff Malloy reminds Davies that the Del Lobos will destroy the town to rescue Montez. To keep the rescue from succeeding, Davies executes Montez then instructs the protagonists to position the Valentine residents volunteering to fight. After fending off the attackers, Sheriff Malloy thanks Davies and the group for their help and pays them.
At Ridgewood Farm, Old Man Jones informs the protagonists that the Del Lobos have overrun Tumbleweed and had kidnapped Davies and captured Sheriff Freeman, intending to lynch them both in revenge for killing off Del Lobos gang members extrajudicially. Jones and the group fight their way through the town before Davies could suffocate on the noose. The group then escorts Jones, Davies, and Sheriff Freeman to safety at The Scratching Post while fending off Montez's gang. After reaching safety, Davies and Sheriff Freeman part ways with the group and thank them and Jones for saving their lives.
=== Outlaw Path (Low Honor) ===
Horley meets the protagonists and introduces them to an outlaw named Samson Finch. Samson explains to them that he and his partner had planned several robberies together, but his partner had betrayed him and intends to sabotage them and proceed with the player and their posse. Samson asks for the players' assistance in intercepting the train and raiding Cornwall Kerosene & Tar. After fighting off the Pinkerton agents and subduing the factory executives, the group succeeds in their mission and they are paid for their efforts.
Following the factory robbery, the protagonists meet Samson near Fort Wallace. Samson tells them that his former friend is in hiding at the fort and is protected by their old regiment in the US Army. He tasks them with killing him and also instructs them to destroy the fort's ammunition dump in order to cripple the regiment's chances of robbing the bank they intended to target. After finishing their mission, the players part ways with Samson again, who tells them he'll try to remain in touch.
Later, the protagonists meet up with Samson and Horley again in Big Valley. Samson subsequently instructs them to hijack a carriage passing through Great Plains containing some Express Company uniforms and an armored coach located in Strawberry. After obtaining the materials required for the preparation of the robbery, he tells them to meet him in Saint Denis.
Upon linking up with Samson at Guiteau Square, the players proceed to disguise themselves as bank employees and drive the company wagon to the Lemoyne National Bank. After tricking the manager into granting them access to the vault, they flee through the city streets with the targeted stack of bonds when the police are alerted. After being forced to abandon the armored wagon and meeting back up with Samson at the cemetery, the group fights off their pursuers before escaping the city by boarding a departing train. While Samson reaches for his revolver and states he intends to betray them at this point, he reveals himself to only be joking before thanking them for their assistance.
=== Hunting Philip LeClerk's Killers ===
Horley and Mrs. LeClerk locate her husband's killer, Teddy Brown, in Fort Mercer, where Brown and his gang are defending against US Marshals. The protagonists ride alongside Horley to the Marshal's camp outside Fort Mercer, and Horley gives the group ballistic armor for their attack on the fort. The group, backed up by the Marshals, engages in a heavy firefight against Brown's gang before Brown himself appears in his own set of ballistic armor. After finally subduing Brown, Mrs. LeClerk appears and demands answers from Brown, who refuses, prompting Mrs. LeClerk to execute him.
Following the raid on Fort Mercer, the protagonist meets Horley and Mrs. LeClerk at Quaker's Cove. The group is informed that LeClerk had been the subject of a smear campaign until Amos Lancing requested to parley with her in Blackwater. The protagonist and their posse act as bodyguards for Mrs. LeClerk and Horley. When Amos informs her that he used forged documents to seize Philip LeClerk's holdings and properties, Jessica becomes enraged, and unbeknownst to the others, shoots Amos with the gun she kept hidden in her purse. As a firefight breaks out, the group is split between helping Horley retrieve the forged documents from Jeremiah Shaw and getting LeClerk to safety. After regrouping, the posse escorts Horley and Mrs. LeClerk outside Blackwater.
Upon reaching safety, Mrs. LeClerk kindly thanks the protagonists for helping her before parting ways with them, intent on being able to clear her own name before planning to deal with Grace Lancing when the time comes.
=== Assisting Guido Martelli ===
At some point during their travels, the protagonist is contacted by Guido Martelli, the underboss of the Italian mob in Saint Denis. Martelli enlists the protagonist's help in finding and retrieving Capitale, private bonds used by the Italian mob in their business dealings to avoid paying taxes. A large number of Capitale has been recently acquired by ordinary outlaws, and Martelli needs it removed out of the circulation to return it to its original value. In return, Martelli will provide the protagonist with new business opportunities.
The protagonist can receive tips regarding the locations of Capitale from any of Martelli's associates: Anthony Foreman, James Langton, Joe, and Sean MacGuire. After undertaking various jobs from them and collecting enough Capitale, the protagonist can hand the bonds to Martelli, who in return will tell them where and how they can steal Senator Antoine Ricard's collection of famous jewels.
=== Specialist Roles ===
* Trader - The protagonist receives a letter from Cripps to meet him at a nearby general store, informing them that he has a business opportunity they'd be interested in. Upon meeting him at the store, Cripps introduces the prospect of becoming a trader to the protagonist, in which they hunt animals for their pelts and carcasses, where Cripps tans and preserve the pelts for profit. The protagonist starts by purchasing a butcher's table for their camp from Wilderness Outfitters.
* Collector - On the road, the protagonist encounters Madam Nazar at the latter's mobile sales coach. Old Man Jones arrives and tries to warn the protagonist from doing business with her but to no avail. Madam Nazar tells the protagonist that aside from being a fortune teller, she's also a buyer and seller of rare and exotic items, and she's willing to buy such items from the protagonist should they become a collector for her. The protagonist starts by purchasing a collector's bag from Madam Nazar to hold the items.
* Bounty Hunter - In Rhodes, the protagonist examines a bounty board kept outside the town's sheriff's office. Sheriff Leigh Gray and his deputy, Archibald MacGregor initially mistake them as the bounty hunter they hired, but the actual bounty hunter arrives driving a wagon carrying the outlaw gang she was hired to take out. When meeting the player, the bounty hunter asks them if they wish to become a bounty hunter too, and has them directed to Sheriff Gray in order for them to buy a bounty hunting license.
* Moonshiner - At some point in their career as a trader, the protagonist receives a letter from Cripps, instructing them to go meet him and an associate at Emerald Ranch for another business opportunity. They are then met with Maggie Fike, a veteran moonshiner who proposes a partnership with them. The protagonist begins by purchasing an abandoned shack for their operations at a location of their choosing and must contend with rival moonshiners like the Braithwaite family, whilst fighting off advances from the Bureau of Internal Revenue as their operations progress.
* Naturalist - At the Welcome Center in Strawberry, the protagonist meets both retired hunter and craftsman Gus Macmillan, and naturalist and conservationist Harriet Davenport, the latter of whom expresses her disdain at Gus for hunting innocent animals for profit. Gus sees potential in the protagonist and gives them his card, stating he will pay top dollar for rare animal furs and parts. After Gus leaves, Harriet approaches the player and asks them to help her collect samples from live animals for her studies, promising to pay them if they do so. However, the protagonist may instead choose to hunt these animals and sell them to Gus in exchange for exotic clothing and accessories. Either way, the protagonist starts by purchasing a sample kit.
== Personality ==
The protagonist seems to be a calm and collected individual when dealing with their associates and employers, never losing their cool. When engaging with allies and strangers, they appear to be relatively polite despite their quiet nature. The online protagonist’s nature and actions are determined by the player; they can be anything from a peaceful wanderer to a deranged outlaw, all depending on player choice. They also seem to be supposedly physically and temperamentally sound as noted by Horley, who states they haven't "been broken in body or in spirit".
== Appearance ==
According to the height chart, the male protagonist stands at 6'3" (1.91 m), while the female protagonist stands at 5'9" (1.75 m). Though the heights cannot be altered, certain types of footwear can make the protagonist slightly taller. The player can determine the protagonist's physical appearance, gender, age, build, and name.
== Trivia ==
* The player can select any age between 18 to 60 years old.
* Much like the GTA Online Protagonists, this protagonist does not speak in any of the cutscenes. However, they are still voice-acted to an extent. This normally includes (but is not limited to) actions like grunting in melee combat or when getting hurt, screaming while falling, and using certain emotes.
== Licensing ==
This article contains content derived from the "Protagonist" article on the Red Dead Wiki, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Category:Male
Category:Female
Category:Genderless
Category:The Hero
Category:Falsely Accused
Category:Mute
Category:Video Game Heroes
Category:Western Heroes
Category:Mercenaries
Category:Anti-Heroes
Category:Vigilantes
Category:Criminals
Category:Jerks
Category:Presumed Deceased
Category:Assassins
Category:Nameless
Category:Status Dependent upon Player Choice