The Old Ranger

SHARED NPC

Posts
363
Last visited
September 19
Player
Stormwolfe

About The Old Ranger

Storyteller

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Birth Date
01/01/1800
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Shared NPC
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Full Name

The Old Ranger
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Storyteller
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Birth Date

01/01/1800
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Player Notes

The Old Ranger is a generic storyteller character to be used by anyone that wants to set up a scene, something told by a narrator not one of the characters.

Please use him wisely!

Topics I Participated In

Sudden and Deadly

Started by Cabot 'Turk' Flagg · September 17

Mature Content: Yes, violence.

With: Turk Flagg and an NPC
Location: On the boardwalk of Main Street, Kalispell
When: September 1876
Time of Day: Early afternoon

Turk lit up a cigarette then tossing the matchstick onto the street, he began a long slow walk down one side of the small but bustling town of Kalispell. Truth be told he wasn't much for towns, even less for cities but this place seemed decent at least. After a long pleasant conversation with his old friend, Caroline Mundee, Turk had been talked into staying at least for maybe a week or so. It's not like he had pressing business anywhere else and the reward money from his latest successful bounty would keep him in spending money for a decent stretch of time.

He had also heard enough talk about some real local tension between the two big ranches in these here parts and how one in particular, Evergreen, had stocked up on the likes of gunmen more so than cowpokes. One didn't pay out that kind of money for hired guns and then not use them at some point, it was otherwise an extravagant waste of funds. But Caroline had set him straight about this Evergreen place. She and most of the town despised the owner and warned him away from even thinking of hiring on there. Turk would never do such a thing and upset the saloon girl. He wasn't romantically in love with her but she was more like a young sister to him. Another point - she had quite a volcanic temper if you got her mad. Nope, he wasn't about to poke that hornet's nest.

So, if he was going to stay for awhile, he needed to find a place to stay. Hearing of the hotel prices, too rich for his blood, he had now narrowed down his options to seeing if the local boarding house had an opening. If not, Caroline promised him she'd make sure he didn't sleep someplace without a roof.

A few of the citizenry walked by him in the other direction. He was met with one or two perfunctory nods or answered a 'hello' with a civil 'howdy' back. That was until suddenly he did a full stop upon catching sight of a man walking straight toward him. He knew the man instantly even after all these many years.

When your life once revolved around the deadly feud that had been Bloody Kansas, you never really forgot those brutal times nor faces. He was staring at one of the men who had once rode with the pro-slavery faction back then. Turk had been a young volunteer with the anti-slavery Jawhawkers. Both of them had come not just from the same county but their farms had been right next door to each other. Well, that was until the Flagg farm had been torched in a raid. His family had been lucky to escape with their lives, except for his brother, Thomas. Thomas, all of fifteen, had tried to resist the raid and had been shot dead. His mother had told Turk ever since that she had saw the faces of these raiders and one of them had been none other than one of their own neighbors, the very man who now was walking straight toward him.

Turk's eyes narrowed as he spit out the cigarette onto the boardwalk. Of course that late unpleasantness, the War Between the States, was over but....well....somethings were never over.

@Flip
We Are Gathered Here Today

Started by Brendan Connolly · July 14

Mature Content: Possibly language
With: Gilcrest, Bridget, Charlie, Caroline, and Mrs. Wentworth
Location: The old funeral parlor
When: July 1876, the day after Crabbe's death
Time of Day: Mid-morning

Brendan scowled at Gilcrest's outburst. He already knew how ridiculous the whole thing was, and the older man's reaction wasn't helping, nor was his picturesque description of what Brendan's fate would be if his story didn't satisfy the powers that be at Evergreen.

"Fine," he grumbled, turning to mount the steps of the funeral parlor. "C'mon and I'll show ya." He beckoned Gilcrest inside, leaving the door open behind him, and moved past the table where Crabbe had met his demise. If Charlie wanted to follow them in, he could. But he wasn't going to invite the deputy in, not when he so clearly looked down on Brendan.

He trudged up the stairs, missing any sounds of Reeve and Arabella's investigating in the other downstairs rooms. That was probably just as well, because he'd have been highly suspicious of the man. His main focus was to get upstairs to Bridget. As he cleared the landing, it became clear that it was not just Caroline and Bridget inside Bridget's bedroom. He didn't know the other lady he could see through the doorway.

"Caroline!" he called, his voice sliding up the last few stairs with a hint of panic in it. Funny how it was Bridget who occupied his thoughts most of the time, but when things went wrong, Caroline always sprung to mind first as someone to help. Although she might not want to help him anymore after their argument.

He leaped up the final steps and burst into the room, glancing back to make sure Gilcrest was following along. He had no idea what was about to happen, but he wanted Gilcrest to witness it so he could vouch for the oddity of whatever did happen. Because this situation was about as odd as you could get.

@Flip @Javia @JulieS @Wayfarer
New In Town II - More than one town

Started by The Old Ranger · June 28

Mature Content: No
With: Walt Shannon, Injun Charlie, Wally Oldham, others?
Location: Add specific location information here.
When: July 1876
Time of Day: Mid Day on

Eastern Montana presented a few towns and each of those towns had a bank. Walt Shannon and his partners rode through them, stopping only for supplies and the occasional meal, or a brief stop at the saloon. They kept their eyes open, not actually casing each of the banks, but noting how they sat, where each was located, and how close they were to the local constabulary, be it Marshall or Sheriff.

Of note was the activity, how busy each of those towns was, and were there mining men on the street, which might indicate there would be a payroll. Of course cattlemen, cowhands and the like meant money in the bank to operate those ranches. Every town they passed through had those types of men on the street. Men looking for silver and gold, others in town for supplies be they farmers or cattlemen of one kind or another.

The towns, Columbia Falls, Coram, Hungry Horse, Briggs, and Melville, all the same except in size, but different in what they supported. Mining, ranching, farming, or a combination. Each with some sort of law, but none with the office of said lawman close to the bank. This was a series of good signs for the Shannon Gang, not they they were known as such, but it was who and what they were.

They had not forgotten about their deal with Case Steelgrave, not at all, in fact part of what they were about was to see which of the outlying towns would be ripe for the taking when the time came. As it stood, that would be all of them. They made camp near the edge of Flathead County, not that county lines meant anything to them. State lines meant nothing either. All those line meant were the end of one jurisdiction and the beginning of another, however, rarely were they ever chased by a posse. So far they had been to clever for that to happen.

With their camp set, looking very much a miners camp site. They of course had the tools of the trade, and they were on display as they had seen done many times.

"Okay, I think we've seen everything we need to know about these towns." Walt began as he took out a hide bound tally book he used for notes on jobs he had scouted, not that he bothered on very many. "Five towns, all different in size and all the same except the last one, Melville. The bank was ten yards from any other building. That one is almost too easy, so on the way back we need to find out a bit more about why. I mean, hell, they can build it wherever they want, that's for sure, away like that? Makes a man wonder."

TBC
Riding The Country

Started by The Old Ranger · May 17

Mature Content: Probably not.
With: Marshals Cook & McNue
Location: Columbia Falls
When: Mid July 1876
Time of Day: Of A Morning..

Cook and McNue had ridden north-east out of Kalispell up through Columbia Falls to Coram and just beyond. They turned back after camping a couple of nights just pretty much doing nothing but talking about what was going on back in Kalispell. Both men had been up the trail and around the bend, so what they were seeing in Kalispell was nothing they had not seen before. Ruthless ranchers ready to do whatever they had to to increase their holdings, on hang on to what they had. Maybe run off the sod busters that fouled the range and denied grazing. But in this case, what they knew was that the two big dogs were ready for a fight.

All that was necessary to spark the tinder and burst it into an all out range war was an incident, whether one party could blame the other or not. And from what they were seeing, it really would not take a whole lot to fan the flames. What both had trouble understanding was the hospital and orphanage plans. All of that had been settled long ago. Both men knew how all of it was done, the right of ways bought and paid for, with a written contract from the railroad to guarantee the proposed route. Yet, nothing had been done other than to stall, and for no apparent reason where someone, other than the town Council might profit, and that was sketchy at best.

The woman, Leah Steelgrave had seen to every detail, both had heard the stories and been witness to some. She worked hard and long hours to make sure everything was iron clad. She must have expected problems like those that had arisen. Yet their question was still, why.

Passing back through Corum and then into Columbia Falls, the marshals decided to stop for the mid day meal. They stopped at the Bon Ton Cafe and dismounted, tying the horses at the hitch rail and then going inside. The place had those long communal tables, but they sat down with three other men across from them, one spoke up,'

"Marshals are ya?" The older man said. Both men looked up. "Boone, Doctor Joshia Boone, gentlemen."

TBC
New In Town

Started by The Old Ranger · April 13

Mature Content: No
With: Walt Shannon, Wally Oldham, Injun Charlie
Location: Lickskillet, Stardust Saloon, Around Town.
When: Mid-July 1876
Time of Day: Mid-day

They came into town slow and easy, looking the town over as most travelers would do. They rode past the Municipal Building, the Town Marshal was seated at his desk oblivious to the riders. Across the street several businesses and a hotel, but the saloon, the Stardust, and next to it, the Lickskillet Cafe. They pulled up and stepped down at the cafe, tying their horses.

Drinks might be good, but food they didn't have to cook, that took precedence to men who'd been on the trail for sometime, even though they ate cafe food in Rollins, but that was a while ago. There were no words of caution or care to be taken, they knew what they were about. First a meal, then a couple of drinks and some information on mining in the area and then, ride on. The word was, leave the bank alone. Case had been firm on that. So it would be.

They went to the door, opened it and stepped inside, removing their hats as they found a table and took seats to wait on the waitress, or whoever.
@Wayfarer(Clara)

Moved From: From Big Flat To Kalispell
Lordsburg To Kalispell

Started by The Old Ranger · March 20

Mature Content: Possible
With: Tyrell Thornton and Unknown NPCs for the thread.
Location: Lordsburg, New Mexico
When: June 1875
Time of Day: Mid-morning

Lordsburg, hot, dusty, some bigger than a wide spot on the trail. Home to rattlesnakes, Gila Monsters, Apaches, pimas, Mexican Banditos, heat, and drought. Home also to the Lazy S Ranch. A place some sixteen miles from what was town at the time. There were a couple of other spreads run by equally as hardy men as Alvarado Muncy, half Mexican, half French-English.

On this particular day, the monthly trip to Lordsburg set out, Alvardo remainging at the ranch, sending his foreman, Tyrell Thornton instead. With the wagon and Thornton were five armed riders because one could never be certain of the trail in those days. But, supplies had to be procured, so men had to go in after them. For Thornton any trip to town was rare as he felt his place was on the ranch, but no one argued with Alvarado Muncy. So he rode along, reluctantly, as he had no interest in going to town since the passing of his wife Gracie Marie in 1870. She was strong willed and determined, but Gracie for all her determination was not built for the hard life in Southern New Mexico. She contracted pneumonia and passed quickly, but that changed Tyrell, it hardened him.

When they arrived in town the first stop was the general store where they filled the list with what was available, including bulk ammunition with the food stuffs. Once the wagon was loaded and covered to keep the dust out, they went to the saloon, which might have had a name, but no one seemed to know it. They stepped up to the bar for drinks, as with Alvarado, there would be two, and then back to the ranch. That was the standing rule and every man knew it.

Harvey Ledbetter, who handled the singing wire, came in and walked up to Tyrell. "You got a telegram." He said shoving the paper at him.

Tyrell took the paper, fished out a dime and handed it to the boy.

Next: The Telegram
Four Good Men

Started by Elias Steelgrave · March 7

Mature Content: Language.
With: Elias, Granger, Deckerd, Treach, Watts, & Dutch
Location: Main House, On The Range, On Lost Lake
When: July1876
Time of Day: Late Afternoon

Attorney of sorts, Cole Latham, and Postmaster, newly minted, Nolan Ashworth rode out of town at a leisurely pace so as to not arouse suspicion that most already had about the pair. They were riding north, that would mean The Evergreen, and reporting to Elias Steelgrave. Generally only one would have the task of informing Elias of either his daughter, Leah's or son Case's doings that both went, that was something that did get attention. Including that of editor Phineas McVay who happened to be leaned against and awning post. He stepped back into his office and smiled at printers devil, Tommy Lane.

"Round up our news rats and find out what's going on, just saw Latham and Ashworth headed for the Evergreen." He ordered. The news rats were hi informants that kept an eye on things around town.

The ride north was about the goings on since the last report and that which had happened that afternoon. It began with Guyer and Leah, then to Guyer and Wentworth, of the hotel, and culminated with a visit to Judge Robertson. None of those visits were in secret, nor was there any attempt to hide these meetings, and, that would mean the promised land for the hospital which was delayed.

Elias, ever volatile , would not be happy. He had been assured the judges silence as well as his delay in granting any parcel of land. So whatever the unknown outcome of these meetings, Elias would not be happy, both with the meetings and with the lack of knowledge as to what went on with Judge Robertson.
The Ghastly Smile of the Dead

Started by Jacob Lutz · March 7

Mature Content: Yes. Not nice.
With: Jacob Lutz, Captain Barlow, Ke-Ni-Tay, MacIntosh
Location: Somewhere between Kalispell and Helena
When: Month 29th August, 1876
Time of Day: 3.20pm

Peloponnese was a good girl and always did what was asked of her. The piebald mare was never 'marish', even when she was in season, always obedient, and she had gotten him out of trouble too many times to count by her amazing equine bravery for, by his own admission, she was far more courageous than her rider. But this was the second time she had shied today.

"Where you going?! No!" The splodgy black and white four-year old had pulled short on the trail, backed up, nearly done a pirouette like a performing gee gee in a circus, or those fancy white dancing horses he'd read about in Vienna, and was now happily trotting off at a 90 degree angle across the prairie with her rider turning in the saddle trying to discern what on earth had spooked his normally steady mount.

"Hey, you don't fool me!" Jacob yelped, and turned her back onto the trail using spur, rein, and slapped croup. He was suddenly worried, though: Peloponnese wasn't just braver than him, he had come to realise, she was also a good deal wiser, and she wouldn't have baulked for nothing. Human will overcame horse-sense, and he pushed her forward, looking ahead: he could see nothing untoward, but he unfastened his rifle holster and drew out the Henry anyway. Peloponnese knew what that meant and he had to find a spare hand from somewhere to rub her withers and shush her whinnying. "I know, I know" he gently cooed as they moved forward, at a walking pace now.

Give the animal her due, she had detected the scent a good couple of miles and a long walk away and it was a good long time before he saw it: some sort of low flat wagon with an awful lot of crows and turkey vultures perched on top. Every now and again one or two would jump down to the ground, and there would be a flurry of feather and a couple of the birds would fly up and then settle back down to try and spot a vacant spot at the feast. Jacob felt a little dizzy all of a sudden and was aware of the blood hissing in his ears. "Steady, now, steady" he called softly to Peloponnese, but it was himself he was trying to calm not her.

He looked around. Nothing. No sound. Nowhere for anyone to hide. No. There was always somewhere for Indians to hide. He would have to trust to his and his horse's senses. He dismounted and led his horse forward, rifle held in his other hand. The crows scattered, but the turkey vultures were made of sturdier stuff and had to be actually shoed away from... from what? It took him a good few seconds to work out exactly what he was looking at.

They had been men, once. Long, white and skinny looking these corpses were: their faces and hands and arms sunburned though and bodies and faces already starting to swell in the heat. There were black patches of beard and body hair which intertwined with dark black-red areas of wounds: some almost random looking stab and gunshot holes others more deliberate, all of them attracting great shiny flies with their stench. Both men, soldiers by the look of the discarded pieces of clothing strewn about, had been carefully mutilated. He could only hope that this had been done after death. The breeze wafted a sickly sweet stench his way and it was then that he was violently sick.

He didn't want to look again, he wanted to run. He wanted to get on his horse and ride and forget he had ever come across the scene. But he couldn't: he looked again, deliberately noting what he saw in his mind. Each man carried a long vertical slash to his thigh -bone deep, the femurs peeping white in the afternoon sun. The genitals were missing, which made him wince on the dead men's behalf, an ugly blood-black patch remained: mute testimony to their emasculation in the afterlife. And the throats were sliced ear to ear, the starkly scalped heads lolling back producing enormous ghastly and grotesque smiles of death. The missing eyes of the men... he didn't know if that was a deliberate act or merely the handywork of the turkey vultures, but what he saw in the mouths of the dead men, and which made him vomit once more, was definitely the work of savage human hands.

He staggered to his horse's side and held on to her, steadying himself, breathing. He took a swig of water from his canteen, and eventually felt strong enough to clamber back into the saddle. He took one last look at the scene. It was almost familiar to him now. The carrion crows and vultures looked at him impatiently: he knew he would have to describe all of this to someone at the fort. The worst part... he couldn't go there straight away.

Because of what had happened this morning, because of the person who had made Peloponnese shy as they had set out on this misbegotten trip, he was going to have to go on further down the trail first... just to be sure.

[To Be Continued]
The Property Question - Part 2

Started by Matt Wentworth · February 22

Mature Content: No
With: Speed Guyer and Judge Robertson
When: Mid-July 1876
Time of Day: Afternoon

As Matt made his way with Marshall Guyer to the courthouse, his mind turned to the current situation with the town council. With the death of Richard Orr, he was now temporary chair and would remain so until the mayoral elections which were scheduled for early October. The current mayor, Scott Cory, for reasons unknown had tended his resignation only two days ago. Coupled with the events at the last town meeting and the resignation, Matt was now contemplating running for mayor himself. Taking on more civic duties meant that his job with the Secret Service would have to go but thankfully there was someone else in the area who had recently arrived in the region that could take over from him. This would all be dependent on him winning the election...if he decided to run.

There was little talk between him and the Marshall until they reached the door of Robertson's office. Before he knocked on the door, he turned to Guyer, "Marshall, I would like to know how you want this handled? What I mean to say is that would you like to ask the Judge about the delay first before I say something?"

@Flip
Captives

Started by Caroline Mundee · December 31, 2021

Mature Content: Definitely! Lots of violence, also gore.
With: Addy, Caroline and a bunch of NPCs
Location: Somewhere between Kalispell and Helena
When: Month Aug.29, 1876
Time of Day: Mid day

Caroline hadn't been on a stagecoach since her arrival many months ago not that she missed it. These contraptions gave a bone jarring bumpy ride, the only good thing about it had been that was when she first met Addy Chappell. That woman worked as a driver for the Millegan Stage company and she was pretty certain Addy still did. They had gotten along well that time but since had sorta lost touch. Not surprising really as both of them lived very different lives. Well just maybe Addy would driving this trip. Caroline was on the way to Helena.

As she stood by the stage office boardwalk, she held a smallish carpet bag. It was going to be a short stay in Helena, she was to attend a funeral of an old friend. They had worked in a Helena saloon for a time before a major fire wrecked the building. Caroline had left soon after and lucked out to find a job quickly in Kalispell thanks to a tip from another friend who lived there. She had always figured she would never go back to Helena but this here was different.

****
Rebecca Honeycutt was sitting on a bench not far from Caroline, both ignoring the other as they did not know each other. Next to her sat her boy, her only child, Byron. The name had been chosen by her husband, the boy himself hated it and much preferred being called Buck or Bucky. A doting mother, she humored him. Byron...errr, Bucky was a good son. Unlike his father who was not with the two. For he had abandoned Rebecca in the pursuit of fortune. Finding gold in Montana had been the death knell of their marriage, he was off to prospect and strike it rich. But he had also made it quite clear to her even if he struck it rich he would not be coming back.

****

Ross Hampton was still inside the stage office, he was helping himself to one of the double barreled shotguns on a rack behind the counter. He had already secured a box of shells. Ross was a Millegan employee, mostly he rode shotgun if the stage might be carrying something deemed valuable enough to warrant it. Other times he drove stage or filled in at times for caring for the horses in the stable. Today though it was obviously 'shotgun'. What with all the Indian troubles this summer....my god, the damn redskins wiped out Custer even, the company decided all stages needed an armed guard on board. While it made sense and also made the passengers maybe feel a bit safer, Ross knew better. Hell, if a war party of those devils attacked the stage, he wasn't going to make a hell of a lot of difference. Least he had confidence in the driver's ability to do her part. Addy knew her stuff, she had earned his respect over the years.

Soon as she came walking in that back door, it would be time to get a moving. The passengers waiting out front, they had three - no menfolk - had already paid for their tickets. Helena here they come!

@Bongo