Chamberlain Kid

**First Appearance** | PDSH, 2009

Ezra Slade Jnr, aka **The Chamberlain Kid**, is an open source character created by Simon Kirby for the Landmark RPG, a tribute to the saddle opera genre of the 1950s. Initially depicted as a stereoytpe sideshow cowboy, he eventually proved his mettle in the backstreets of Chamberlain City, where his narrative took on a considerably darker tone. In his penultimate story arc, Ezra joined forces with The Night Raiders to combat demonic forces stalking the back streets of Radcliffe.

## Background

As his nickname suggests, Ezra Slade Jnr was one of the very few gunslingers to hail from the east-coast city of Chamberlain. Born into a family of professional gunsmiths, he learned to shoot from a very early age, picking up more or less everything there was to know about firearms by the age of 12. When the Civil War broke out a few years later, Ezra was too young to join up, though he soon became a popular figure at the local Union Barracks, servicing shotguns, pistols and rifles for high ranking officers. He was also well-liked by the enlisted men, who dubbed him "The Kid" in reference to his prodigious abilities.

Ezra saw combat in 1863 when a group of Confederate spies attempted to assassinate General Ulysses S. Grant during a tour of inspection. Drawing his colts with lightning speed, Ezra gunned down all five infiltrators in the blink of an eye, permanently cementing his reputation as The Chamberlain Kid. In recognition of the boy's bravery, Grant pinned one of his own medals on Ezra's chest, an act applauded by officers and infantry alike. "The Kid" was just seventeen at the time.

## First crossover

Following the war, Ezra joined the *Chamberlain Pandemonium Circus and Traveling Theatre,* astonishing audiences with his speed and prowess. It was during this time he first encountered Phoenix Summerdale, aka The Six Shooter, who had recently joined the show as a stunt rider. The two hit it off almost immediately due to their shared enthusiasm for pistols, poker and "purdy ladies." While the two were known to argue on occasion, they quickly became the closest of friends, especially after the Kid saved Summerdale's life during a bar-room shoot-out at *The Longhorn Tavern.* Being the more even-tempered of the two, Ezra often served as the voice of reason whenever the pair faced trouble from local drunks and brawlers.

The Kid soon came to the attention of Captain John Faraway, alias The Pistoleer, who asked him to join the Sheriff's Department as chief deputy. Ezra agreed on the condition that Summerdale also be granted a position on the city's payroll. Despite some initial reservations, Faraway agreed to The Kid's terms, thereby founding the earliest incarnation of The Night Raiders. Ezra, for his part, came to admire Faraway for his courage and old-school integrity, eventually deciding that he'd ride to hell and back with his new commander if necessary.

As later events hastened to prove, all three received considerably *more* than they'd bargained for.

## Second crossover

   With the re-emergence of The Deathspeaker in 1868, **Senator Earl Makepeace** petitioned Sheriff John Faraway to track down and apprehend the elusive vigilante. Although Faraway considered the Deathspeaker nothing more than an old wives' tale, he nonetheless decided to investigate rumors of skullduggery out on **The Westside**. According to his informants, women and children had been disappearing off the streets, suggesting the presence of a major kidnapping ring. Suspecting he'd need back up for this particular mission, Faraway called on his two most trusted lieutenants, and The Night Raiders rode for Gallows Hill.

Their investigation led to Willowgrove Cemetery, where they were suddenly ambushed by a gang of maverick veterans - twenty-three gaunt figures in tattered grey uniforms. Despite clearly overwhelming odds, the Raiders opened fire on the advancing mob, and were astonished to discover that their weapons had absolutely no effect. In the ensuing struggle, The Kid suffered critical injuries and The Shooter was crippled by a slug through the thigh. Realizing they were now in serious trouble, Faraway ordered retreat to a ruined mausoleum, where they found themselves surrounded by hostiles on all sides. With their backs literally against the wall, the Raiders prepared to go out with all barrels blazing.

At that moment, The Deathspeaker materialized out of the darkness, twin flintlocks thundering in the night.

As the Raiders watched in mute disbelief, the Speaker cut down the enemy with fire and steel, leaving their bullet-riddled corpses scattered throughout the tombstones. The man they'd been ordered to capture had just saved their lives, then - without even a glance in their direction - vanished back into the shadows. All three were momentarily rendered speechless: everything they'd just witnessed defied all rational explanation.

The "mercenaries" had been revenants - animated corpses returned from the grave. Phoenix recognized some of them from the shootout at **The Longhorn Tavern** a few months back. Heck, he'd even blown a few of them away himself. Somehow, they'd come back, risen from the dead to stalk the living. *That* was utterly impossible, yet the evidence was right there before his eyes. His bullets had passed straight through them, tearing meat from bone in a welter of crimson ooze, but they'd just kept walking without even the slightest reaction. If The Death Speaker hadn't turned up at the last moment...

Bleeding from half a dozen gaping wounds, The Kid started to spiral down into a black and silent coma. As he finally lost consciousness, Ezra found himself thinking: *How did The Deathspeaker manage to kill them?*

## Not only but also

* Deathspeaker
* Night Raiders
* Pistoleer
* Six Shooter