Stands Alone Billy

* **Name:**Stands Alone (formerly "Stone River") "William Mason"
* **Position:**"Elder" (*leksi*) in the Misko-ziibi  tiwahe of the Tiošpaye , frequent culture columnist for TransForum  media.
* **Affiliation:**An enrolled citizen of the  *Oglála Lakȟóta Oyáte*in the Oceti Sakowin , with residency in the Red River Disputed Military Zone . Member of the Tall Willow Akichita Society, honorary member of the Rock Sturgeon Society.
* **Metatype:** Human (*Homo sapiens sapiens*)
* **DOB:**3/7/2016, Pine Ridge SD (now Wazíbló, Lower Yankton CF)
* **Family:**James Grey Goose Mason (father, deceased), Connie Meeker (mother, deceased), Roberta 'Bobbie' Crane in Water (sister, Wazíbló, Lower Yankton CF), Silent Fox (niece, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe, Upper Yankton CF), Anita Grass Watching (ex-wife, Ituhtaáwe, Upper Yankton CF), Viola Wind Flower (ex-wife, Mni Wak'an, Upper Yankton CF), Tech Sgt. Evelyn Moyers (ex-wife, Grand Forks AFB ), Genevieve Reed Waving (fiancee, Fargo  RRDMZ ), Michael Stone River (son, Tsêhéstáno, Tetonwan CF), sub-War Chief Ethan Many Trees (son, based out of SDF Camp Nanaimo, Ts’msyan Protectorate)

Sure, everybody knows Billy, but this is a guide for us out-of-towners, so I'm going to introduce him anyway. While the power dynamics among Whiskey Jack 's lieutenants is complicated by decades of close work, if anybody could be said to be the 'Number Two' guy in the Misko-ziibi tiwahe it's Billy. At the very least, he's the public face of the Tiošpaye in Fargo, a well-known public figure, a familiar face at nightspots both high (he's known to be an initial investor in current rising star Smolders ) and low (he has his own reserved stool at the Last Garage ) and everywhere in-between . He writes restaurant and theater reviews for the local media conglomerate and hosts social and charity functions every year. The name 'Stands Alone' is a bit of a joke, since its almost impossible to ever find him alone, always with friends, business partners, lovers or strangers that might become any of those.

Born just before the Awakening on what was then Oglala Sioux reservation in 'South Dakota', William Mason grew up largely in the early days of the reborn Oceti Sakowin, part of a new country and taking full advantage of new opportunities. Little is known of his early career and life except that it is known that, like all citizens of the Oceti Sakowin, he did his mandatory stint in the SDF and also there is a persistent story that he attended, but did not graduate from, Oyate Owa Yawa.

What is known is that by the time William Whiteclay expanding his 'Tiošpaye' operations into the Red River Valley, Stands Alone Billy was already part of the Tiošpaye and already going by 'Stands Alone'. Whatever it is that alienated Stone River from his family and earned him the name 'Stands Alone' remains his secret alone. Stands Alone was one of the operators Whiteclay sent to scout out the territory and soon became close, personal friends with the big noise in the local underworld, the infamous Whiskey Jack. Seeing which way the bones were going to fall, he immediately got in good with Jack and was in a position to become his lieutenant when Jack formed his network of accomplices and informants into the *Misko-ziibi* tiwahe of the Tiošpaye.

Stands Alone Billy is the unofficial ambassador of the *Misko-ziibi*, the face of the operation, both to the public and the underworld. He's the contact man in the Tiošpaye for the Underberg Family, and usually is the one to attend Scheels board meetings for Whiskey Jack. A born salesman, he's in charge of the contraband and black market operations for the *Misko-ziibi,* and has contacts everywhere, from the Lake Devils who bring it in (Billy was an old drinking buddy of Uncle Skip Goodboy, one of their founders) to places like the Useful Things pawn shop where a lot of it is moved. Generally speaking, if you've got business with the Tiošpaye in this area, its Billy you want to talk to first.

Return to: Tiošpaye