Declan Harp

Declan Harp is an independent fur trader and an notorious outlaw in charge of the reputable Black Wolf Company

## Biography

### Occupation

Fur Trader
Outlaw

### Family

Unnamed Father (Father)
 Unnamed Mother (Mother)
 Archibald Benton (Adopted Father)
 Nuna (Wife †)
 Mikinok (son)
 Unborn child †
 Sokanon (sister-in-law)

### Enemies

Jonathan Chesterfield (former)
 Archibald Benton

## Biography

### Prelude

Born a bastard child from an Irish father and a Cree mother, Declan's mother and father would meet their end and he would find himself in the arms of Achibald Benton, becoming something of an adoptive son and apprentice. Declan would learn the secrets of the fur industry and trade, and would be conditioned to become a ruthless and unrelenting member of the HBC. Decades later, Declan would work for the company, he would eventually meet his wife Nuna and the two would eventually have their son, Mikinok. Declan's family would meet their gruesome demise at the hands the HBC, led by Benton himself. Declan was out in the woods with his sister in law, Sokanon, trapping and hunting when they heard the screams. Declan would later meet the Fort James alehouse proprietor, Grace Emberly, who would nurse him back to health and help him overcome his grief of the death of his family. Once Declan had recovered, he would set out to fulfill a mission to avenge the death of his family by vowing to ruin the HBC and kill Lord Benton with his own hands. Declan would, with his sister-in-law Sokanon, form the Black Wolf Company and begin a bloody campaign against the HBC, intending to have the company sink by his doing.

**Declan Harp** is an independent fur trader and an notorious outlaw in charge of the reputable Black Wolf Company, who is hellbent in avenging his family and ruin the Hudson Bay Company (HBC) along with its senior member Archibald Benton. Although Harp appears to be a hulking figure who resorts to violence to solve his problems, Harp is also wise and calculating, making him a very dangerous figure in Hudson Bay but also one of the most powerful players in the North American fur trade.

### Season 1

After some years had past since his family's death, Declan's vendetta began to produce some results; by the present time, Benton had ascended to seniority in the ranks of the HBC and, after receiving news from his lackey Jonathan Chesterfield, began to realize that Declan was actually doing damage to the company's influence in Hudson Bay. Realizing this, Benton would set sail suddenly to Fort James to set up base and finish the conflict between himself and Declan.

Meanwhile, Declan and his posse would frequently trade with the Lake Walkers in the area but would also attempt to strike a partnership with the fur industry giant Samuel Grant, in which he would attempt to have a friend, Jean-Marc Rivard, arrange some sort of meeting with him. Grant agrees to do so, but before Declan can focus more on his trading mission with Grant, he encounters an Irishman by the name of Michael Smyth, who was sent to join and spy on Declan and his men in exchange for the freedom of his beloved Clenna Dolan who had been arrested after the two had a heist end horribly back in London. Michael, along with the bumbling priest James Coffin, had been bought to Declan; although he had intended to kill the two men, Declan changed his mind after Smyth explained he had information about Benton. From this point, Coffin was released but Michael was kept as something of a ward and a partner for Declan and the two would work side-by-side to thwart Benton's ambitions. This partnership would prove to be valuable after it was discovered the Lake Walkers' leader, Kamenna, had her grandson Kitchi kidnapped by a Cedric Brown of the *Low River Company*; but after Kitchi was discovered to be in Fort James, Declan and Michael realized that the situation would worsen when it was revealed that Cedric was murdered by Chesterfield and that Kitchi was held prisoner in Benton's estates. Declan would mount a night operation to save Kitchi, but in the process, his partner Samoset would die after being shot at by the HBC. The victory would be short lived as Kitchi would be murdered by a former associate of the *Low River Company*, who had worked under the direct orders of Chesterfield himself. For his campaign against the HBC to have materialize, Declan needed all the independent companies to band together with the Lake Walkers. To do so, he would interrogate Malcolm Brown, one of the co-owners of the *Low River Company* but the Brown brother would only deny that murder and kidnapping were his or his brother Douglas' idea. Declan would hope to mediate the conflict between the Browns and Kamenna with evidence that Malcolm was not complicit in the affair but the idea would unravel quickly after the Lake Walkers' tribesman Machk would ascend to Okimaw (chief) and would force out the Black Wolves and Malcolm off their territory. After getting into a fight with his subordinate Dimanche, the latter would angrily leave the group but not without taking Declan's men with him leaving behind only Sokanon and Michael only. Still determined, Declan would decide to kill Benton at the heavily guarded Fort James himself but only to be captured by the HBC soldiers.

After being caught, Declan would be strung up and repeatedly tortured by Benton himself. It was here, however, that Benton would reveal a unfortunate truth; Benton explains that not only did he kill his family himself, but he revealed that he had murdered an unborn child still while in Nuna's womb, leaving Declan shattered and paining. After enduring unrelenting torture from Benton, Michael himself would get arrested to help spring out Declan. Meanwhile, Benton, already under investigation by HBC officer Benedict Johnson, would be arrested by the latter and would stumble upon Declan's and Michael's prison in the storehouse. After Michael eliminate Johnson, he, Sokanon and Grace would spring him out and escape into the wild.

After some time had passed, Declan would be able to walk again but would still be in a frail condition. He would manage to meet Grace again, who would nurse him back to health once more. But after recovering from his wounds and being able to recuperate, he planned on killing Benton by taking advantage of Samuel Grant, who happened to be visiting Fort James. In a secluded meeting, Declan insists Grant lure Benton on a walk alone in the woods, to which Grant would agree to do so; however, Grant and his partner Cobbs Pond would betray Declan and Declan would once again be captured by Benton, only this time the latter had wanted Declan hanged instead. As the execution is being set, Michael, Sokanon and Grace plan on how to spring Declan from captivity and the trio plan on detonating the powder storage of the garrison to help instill panic among the HBC. The plan works, but as Declan makes his escape, he fails to kill Benton and narrowly escapes death after the preacher Father Coffin would shield Declan to protect him from being shot by Benton.

### Season 2

After his escape, Declan would become weakened from fleeing the HBC and would collapse along the road in the wilderness. While hunting, Rivard would stumble upon an unconscious Declan and, with the help of his Voyageurs, would help him flee far North with some boatmen. After hallucinating and spending time in the waters for days, Declan finally reaches a frost covered land and would encounter the Inuit hunting family of Neevee and her father. The pair, while unable to communicate with Declan truly, spend their resources nursing Declan back to health and Declan would give thanks by helping any way he can to assist the Inuit pair. But the peacefulness of his time with the Inuit would come to an end, when bounty hunters would come to bring back Declan to Fort James, where it is here that Chesterfield would ascend to Governorship by a coup against Benton and would place a large bounty on Declan's head. Realizing that his Inuit hosts were in danger and failing to convince them to leave immediately, Declan decides to leave the two before any more damage can be done.

As Declan reaches south, he would eventually reach a barren public house. It is here that Declan would reunite with his old friend McTaggart and would pick up old equipment to help him return on the warpath against Benton and the HBC. But this would be briefly interrupted after Declan would save the American slave Charleston, or Charlie, from brutal treatment by his owner; Declan's rescue of Charlie would result the HBC zeroing in on him and McTaggart and a fight would ensue, leaving only Charlie's former owner to flee for his life. After the incident, Charlie and McTaggart agree to help Declan and the three move southwards to regroup with Michael and Sokanon. Eventually Declan meets up with the new Black Wolf company rebuilt by Michael, but is disappointed to hear that it is nothing but a gang of thieves stealing from HBC outposts. After explaining to Michael, Declan explains to truly hurt HBC, the group must do more than just to steal a few pelts which Michael decides to launch the largest heist ever conceived: to steal huge hulls of HBC furs via an underground tunnel and to sell them to a independent buyer in Montreal. Impressed with the idea, Declan sets out with McTaggart and Charlie to recruit Jack, another old acquaintance, to help with the tunneling process. However, the mission comes under fire when the bounty hunter Vladimir Tetukin ambushes the three men and reveals that he had murdered Jack. After McTaggart and Charlie would be captured by Tetukin, Declan rescues the pair by seemingly killing Tetukin, and the three men make their way to Fort James. Although without any explosives, Declan decides to improvise with tunneling by McTaggart and Charlie help with stealing a small cannon from the Garrison.

## Relationships

### Enemies

Lord Benton

Captain Chesterfield