John Begay

*This article is about John Begay, the character from Echo and The Smoke Room affiliated with James Hendricks I. You may be looking for John, the former partner of Jebediah Coles from The Smoke Room.*

### Aliases

The Meseta Manservant
Tsela?

## Physical Description

### Text Color

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In *The Smoke Room*

**John Begay** was the business partner and close friend of James Hendricks I, as well as a member of the Meseta Tribe and the ancestor of the Begay family.

## Appearance

John was a short and youthful kit fox with a high voice and possibly yellow eyes. He wore a white button up shirt and slacks when he was younger. As he grew older, he wore a cotton shirt, a pair of overalls, and a band of fabric across his forehead.

Samuel Ayers briefly mistakes John for his ancestor Tsela Begay, implying that the two bear a strong resemblance to each other.

## Personality

From what little is seen of John's personality during his life, he was said to be a hard worker and was at least initially respected by the early settlers of Echo. He also seemed to have somewhat of a teasing nature, though this side of his personality may have been reserved for those he was close with.

John's later life was largely defined by his relationship with James, which left him very lonely as he was increasingly marginalized by James' need to keep up appearances with his 'legitimate' family. John seems to have been subservient to James' whims and lived constant fear of losing him. This changed later on when he discovered the extent of James' crimes and immediately turned on him, angrily disavowing their relationship and James as a person. After his wrongful death, "John" (or whatever remained of him) swore vengeance on James and became primarily motivated by a desire for justice, with little regard for living people beyond tools in his own quest and an extreme hatred for James and any who seemed to support him. Outside of his goal of clearing his name, John appears to be resigned to whatever is left of his existence and tends to be more generally bitter than outright vindictive when speaking with those unrelated to his unfinished business.

## Story

### Early life and founding Echo

John was born into the Meseta tribe, near the area that would eventually become the town of Echo. Sometime between 1850 and 1852, he met and befriended James Hendricks I. It is unknown how old he was at the time, but based on descriptions in The Smoke Room, it seems John was quite young.

When James struck gold in 1852, he confided in John and brought him on as a business partner. Working together, the two used their newfound funds to start a business that would eventually develop into a full-fledged boomtown named for the nearby canyon.

### Later life and relationship with James

At an unknown point, John's friendship with James became romantic. Due to the time period, the relationship between the two was illicit and illegal and their status as lovers had to be kept secret. To this end, James either built or bought a cabin in the woods just past Echo Canyon for John to stay in while James was with his wife and family or away on business. Despite the secrecy and his marriage, James promised John that their relationship could succeed and that he would show John the world.

From what can be gathered, John was far from happy in this arrangement. James' frequent absence weighed on him heavily, and he grew restless waiting for James to keep his promise. In order to keep James from leaving at times, John would go so far as to offer sex. From what can be seen of John's behavior during Samuel Ayers' first "conversation" with John (seemingly replaying a memory in which he treats Sam as James), it seems likely that James was at least emotionally abusive toward him. At some point, James eventually brought John to his mansion, where he stayed in a secret room.

### Death and legacy

In 1875, John discovered the truth of James' long absences and apparent lack of satisfaction with him when he stumbled across the mansion's dungeon. John quickly realized that his lover had repeatedly kidnapped and sexually abused children, including many from the Meseta tribe, before killing them. Horrified by this revelation, John publicly condemned James for his atrocities, bitterly breaking off their relationship via letter and making plans to leave Echo soon after. Unfortunately for John, James turned the story around by accusing *him* of the crime in turn. The citizens of Echo were swayed by James and took matters into their own hands by lynching John, while James was released and soon fled Echo.

Despite his death, John's family name lived on through his descendants. Many years later, Trisha Hendricks uncovered a lockbox containing letters exchanged between James and John while the former was in jail, revealing that James had pinned his crimes on John. Despite this revelation, Trisha's research was never widely publicized and John's name remained uncleared.

### Cliff's Route

During their expedition to the Meseta reservation, the traveling party ends up unexpectedly stumbling across James and John's now-dilapidated cabin, after possibly being supernaturally redirected by the forest they are in. If Sam chooses to follow Cliff and Murdoch into the house, he will encounter a young version of John's spirit, or perhaps a hallucinatory memory of him. This apparition plays out a conversation he had with James many years previously, apparently unaware that he is really speaking to Sam. John expresses resentment at James' absences and attempts to act teasingly flirtatious in order to regain his favor, but also seems terrified. When he begins undressing Sam quickly flees the house, leaving 'John' in tears. If Sam chooses to stay outside with Jeb and Avery, he will instead stumble across a pipe engraved with John's initials near an extinguished bonfire.

After Sam's group makes it to the Meseta settlement, Sam stays the night at Tsela's house following an attack by the creature that has pursued them since leaving Echo. During the night Sam initially thinks Tsela has awoken, only to realize that his behavior has changed drastically and that his eyes and teeth seem to glow with a glinting, faraway light even in the dim room. Sam quickly concludes that he is no longer speaking to Tsela, but the presence never announces itself as John explicitly. This manifestation of John appears much more mature and lucid than the vision of him from the cabin, and actively converses with Sam rather than reenacting a memory. "John" does not recognize the cabin or Tsela at all, but says he has 'followed something' to appear there. He notes that Sam is being followed by a presence himself, though "he" is "too shy" to speak.

If Sam previously encountered John's apparition in the abandoned cabin, John sternly accuses Sam of being a pervert and says he is familiar with men like Sam who "put their mind and body at the mercy of others." If Sam found the pipe outside the cabin, John reflects instead on the dangers of smoking but declares that it is best to enjoy oneself before death inevitably comes.

John claims to recognize Sam from previous encounters, much to Sam's confusion, and asserts that the two have met in various times and places. While playing with Tsela's knife, he bitterly characterizes Sam as always fixated on unfairness during their meetings. He seems wryly frustrated by this, musing that unlike himself Sam has been given numerous choices and still chooses poorly so many times. He refuses to tell Sam his identity, since he already has before and is tired of repeating himself, and says he cannot tell Sam why he has appeared since he had no choice in the matter. John explains that he has just come to 'ride the wave,' and after looking down at Tsela's hands he hopes wistfully that things will be different this time.

John's presence then departs, and Tsela wakes up suddenly with no memory of having been possessed.

### Murdoch's Route

While exploring Echo's cemetery with Cliff, Dahlia mentions that John Begay is said to be buried somewhere in the section of unmarked graves. She describes him as being "accused of terrible crimes" and also alludes to a rumor that James Hendricks I may have moved his body out of the cemetery for unknown reasons.

### William's Route

William explains to Sam at one point that rumors about the Hendricks family still circulate in town, and briefly reiterates the history between John, whom he calls a 'Meseta manservant,' and James Hendricks I. Notably, Will's incorrect version of events demonstrates that by 1915 John is remembered in Echo as a murderer, and that his innocence has successfully been erased from mainstream history by James' betrayal.

### TJ's Route

John is briefly mentioned on TJ's route when Chase recalls a childhood memory in which he hallucinated a fox hanging from a noose in the woods. It is unclear whether this is definitively John or another fox, but given Chase once again remembers this moment shortly after speaking to John's ghost on Carl's route, it seems likely to have been John himself.

### Carl's Route

Shortly before the events of Echo, the spirits of James and John were brought back by an unknown entity and forced to play a "game" regarding the truth of James' crimes and John's reputation. Without bodies of their own, James and John turned to possessing their descendants, with John taking over Jenna. Signs of this possession can be seen as early as Wednesday, when Jenna becomes vengeful toward Carl seemingly out of nowhere while the group celebrates at the Hendricks Mansion.

John's role in the "game" begins taking prominence on Sunday. After coming to the Carl's house in search of TJ, Jenna ends up trapped in a hallucinatory version of the mansion alongside Chase, Carl, and Raven. Unlike Carl, who is able to fight his possession off, Jenna is almost fully possessed by John throughout the bulk of the route. During the night, John attempts to prove his innocence in the Meseta children kidnappings, becoming violent toward the others when he feels James is tampering with the game. At one point, he seemingly rescues Chase from being raped by James' ghost in Carl's body, though this seems to be more out of spite for James than concern for Chase himself.

John's physical body is eventually seen near the end of the route, with what seems to be his rotting body still hanging from the noose he was killed with. Chase falls unconscious after attempting to get a newspaper clipping about the James case from the corpse's mouth, after which he overhears John and James talking. While James worries about his reputation, John angrily claims that he only cares about gaining justice. Upon Chase waking up and finding another article seemingly incriminating John further in the body's pocket (the note in its mouth having been swallowed), John in Jenna's body attacks Carl with a knife acquired earlier in the route. Depending on Chase's actions, he may either incapacitate Jenna or be killed by her.

In Carl's bad ending, a James-possessed Carl kills Jenna (and thus gets rid of John) before attempting to burn down the mansion. In the good ending however, John captures Raven and continues to try proving his innocence through newspaper articles. When Carl and Chase return to the house, he attempts to kill them before they can interfere, and stabs Chase non-fatally in the back. Upon Chase finding the article originally thought to be swallowed by John's body and promising to bring his story to light, John's spirit departs and frees Jenna. True to his word, Chase then creates a presentation telling the truth behind James' crimes, thus finally giving John his closure.

## Relationships

### James Hendricks

James and John were once lovers, with John being hopelessly devoted to James and helping him expand his influence and business. He was hurt by James' growing distance from him over time, and tried desperately to keep his attention. After discovering his dungeon however, John became disgusted with his former lover and swore to bring him down. While he failed at doing so in life, John's spirit continued to be angry toward James and vengefully vowed to clear his name by bringing the ram to justice.

### Jenna Begay

Jenna is John's descendant. During the events of Carl's route, he possesses her body in an attempt to clear his name. Despite her friends' efforts to help her fight him off, Jenna does not seem capable or willing to do so. Given John's actions while possessing her, it seems that he does not consider Jenna's wellbeing in any capacity beyond using her as a vehicle to complete his goals.

### Tsela Begay

Like Jenna, Tsela is a descendant of John. The two appear to bear a great physical similarity to one another, with John himself remarking that Tsela's hands look like his. As with Jenna, John is seemingly able to possess Tsela to some degree, though unlike the goal-oriented full body possession seen with Jenna, John himself seems unsure of what has brought him to do so beyond following some sort of presence to "ride the wave." When John departs following a conversation with Sam, Tsela begins speaking with no memory of the situation, which may imply that this form of his "possession" may either be a hallucinatory experience of Sam's or that John only spoke through an unconscious Tsela rather than controlling his active body deliberately as he does with Jenna.

### Samuel Ayers

John knows Sam well and claims the two have met on many occasions in various times and places, much to Sam's befuddlement. He seems annoyed at Sam's supposed tendency to complain about the unfairness of their fates, since Sam has had so many more choices then he ever did and apparently squandered them all nonetheless. He calls the Sam he speaks to through Tsela 'not very smart yet' and is annoyed at having to reintroduce himself once again. He treats Sam disdainfully for his lack of awareness but nonetheless seems to express some hope that events are not guaranteed to play out like they usually do, and might go differently depending on the actions of Sam or others. Given the implication that John's other conversations with Sam take place after they have both met unfortunate fates, it seems likely that John's "ghost" tends to repeatedly cross paths with Sam's own in some capacity.

## Trivia

* Aside from Sam, John is the only character to make a prominent speaking appearance in both Echo and The Smoke Room.