[hider=Joseph Rittenour]
[h1][center][color=indianred] Joseph Rittenour[/color][/center][/h1]


[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/8E5USZU.png?1[/img][/center]

[h3][center]Character basics[/center][/h3]

[color=indianred][b]Name:[/b][/color] Joseph Rittenour
[color=indianred][b]Nicknames/alias:[/b][/color] [i]Mingan[/i], (Gray Wolf) or [i]Askuwheteau[/i], (He who keeps watch) To those who know him best, he may be called [i]Long Knife[/i]
[color=indianred][b]Age:[/b][/color] 37
[color=indianred][b]Place of birth & ethnicity:[/b][/color] Salamanca, N.Y/Onöndowá'ga (Seneca; Great Hill People of the Iroquois Confederacy/Haudensee; the People of the Long House)

[color=indianred][b]Gender:[/b][/color]  Male
[color=indianred][b]Occupation:[/b][/color] former Union soldier, former farm laborer, now bounty hunter 

[h3][center]Character appearance & personality[/center][/h3]

[color=indianred][b]Apperance:[/b][/color] Joseph Rittenour stands 71" tall and weighs 180 Lbs. He has a lean, fair build. His long black hair is occasionally braided and his brown eyes are very focused. He has tanned skin due to his heritage as a member of the [i]People of the Mountain[/i], Onondowagah, (pronounced: Oh-n'own-dough-wahgah), what the white man calls, [i]Seneca[/i]. There was a time when Joseph wore a thin mustache, but he remains clean shaven now. He has several scars on his body, but none that can be seen while wearing clothing.

[color=indianred][b]Clothing:[/b][/color] Joseph wears traditional tanned leather breechcloths with leggings. On his feet, he has packed his moccasins away in place of leather boots worn as a soldier. He wears a white cotton button shirt, decorated with seven lengths of beads worn around his neck. The beads vary in color between red, blue, violet and brown. A few ribbons hang down from the necklaces. He wears his blue and gold Infantry blouse unbuttoned over this shirt.  Upon his head, he prefers to wear a traditional Iroquois headdress, a cap covered in brown horsehair and a single eagle's feather standing straight up. He wears a gun belt over his breechcloths with a single revolver on the right side and occasionally a cavalry saber (Long Knife) on the left. A knife is tucked into his left boot and a much longer blade is located on his gun belt behind his holster.

[color=indianred][b]Personal style:[/b][/color] He dresses the way he wants to dress. It is a reflection of who he is today; a cross between his past as a member of the People of the Long House as well as a member of the white man's world. He has accepted the white man's world and has been on a quest of learning since the war ended almost 16 years ago. He has considered returning to his people, but for now yearns for something, he knows not what; a quest for knowledge.
 
[color=indianred][b]Personality:[/b][/color] Joseph is an inquisitor and a thinker. He remains silent, reticent most of the time, observing others. He has an analytical mind, constantly in thought. When he speaks, it is because he believes he has something important to say. He is not given to idle chatter. When the moment requires action, he is quick. He does not dwell over past transgressions or misdeeds directed at him. He resolves conflicts as soon as possible. His English is precise. He does not speak with an accent or with broken words. 

[color=indianred][b]Habits:[/b][/color] When in contemplation, he places the whole of his right hand over his mouth, fingers sprawled across his left cheek and thumb across his right cheek. When in battle, black paint is applied to his white-painted face in the manner of his hand when in thought. He learned how to snap his fingers during the Civil War and will often snap them without thinking about it. He also likes to whistle while riding.

[h3][center]Skills and items[/center][/h3]

[color=indianred][b]Regular life skills:[/b][/color] Tracking, hunting, shooting, Hand to hand combat, farming, guerilla tactics, caring for horses and other domestic animals.

[color=indianred][b]Combat skills:[/b][/color] Joseph is a decent shot with a pistol and a fair shot with a rifle. He could engage targets out to 100 yards with the rifles about fifty percent of the time. Joseph prefers to use a bladed weapon, either a knife or sword. He has practiced using the sword and has years of experience in hand-to-hand combat with and without a knife. Joseph prefers to look into a man's eyes, when killing.

[color=indianred][b]Items on your person:[/b][/color] The clothing listed above, 1873 Single-Action Cattleman Revolver, US Cavalry saber, bone-handled 12" Bowie hunting knife, Beaver Tail 7-1/4" dagger/boot knife, 32 rounds of .45 caliber ammunition in the re-load slots of the gun belt. The belt is worn with the buckle on the left hip behind his saber. This makes reloading faster and keeps the buckle from binding up his groin while riding. He carries $125 in cash in a pocket of his blue infantry blouse.

[color=indianred][b]Additional stuff:[/b][/color] Joseph rides a tan/white spotted Apaloosa Stallion named [i]Pajackok[/i] (means Thunder). He uses a Western saddle, which he has grown accustomed to. A 50' coil of rope is attached to the saddle, a black fringed rifle sheath carrying an 1873 Sharps rolling block .40-90 Buffalo gun, 100 rounds of .40-90 (.403") caliber ammunition and an additional 200 rounds of .45 caliber pistol ammo. His saddle bags contain the ammunition, spare moccasins and food. He has a one-gallon canteen of drinking water, brushes and tools for taking care of his mount. He carries a feed bag containing oats and vegetables or fruit when fresh to give to Pajackok. A rolled wool blanket is tied right behind his saddle.

[h3][center]History[/center][/h3]
Joseph is riding with his friend Iiniwa (meaning: Bison), AKA: Lauren Cartier. They have been riding for the past two years together, performing various jobs and collecting bounties when available. The two parted ways three days ago. Lauren traveled ahead to Haylliesburg while Joseph brought a $100 bounty in to Tucson. Joseph is carrying Lauren's split of the reward money.

Joseph is standing on a hill listening to the sounds of gunfire inside Haylliesburg at present.

[color=indianred][b]Your life before coming to Haylliesburg:[/b][/color] Joseph was born Askuwheteau ([i]He who keeps watch[/i]). He grew up playing with the other children in his village near Salamanca, N.Y. He grew up as a member of the People of the Mountain or sometimes referred to as the People of the Western Door. They were once part of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy that remained intact for over six hundred years. They were friends with the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga and Tuscarora peoples. After the US gained their independence, the chain of the six nations was broken. Many of the Seneca moved north of the St. Lawrence, several to the Ohio River valley and a few remained in the Finger Lakes region of Western New York.

As a boy, he played Lacrosse with his friends and learned to hunt, trap, fish and track with his fathers and brothers. He learned to use the traditional Iroquois weapons, bows, knives and hatchets. It wasn't until he joined the US Army that he learned to use firearms. He also learned to farm and take care of domestic animals.

As Askuwheteau grew into a teen, his name changed to Mingan ([i]Gray Wolf[/i]). It is the name he prefers. When the white man's nation exploded into a war between the northern and southern people, Mingan felt the urge to learn about the white man's culture and seek adventure. He adopted a white man's name, Joseph Rittenour, which means nothing to him. He felt it was necessary to fit in with their society.

He learned of the creation of an all Indian Infantry Regiment in a land known as Kansas. He and twenty of his brothers traveled together in search of Kansas. They discovered Big Creek near the town of Hays, KS in the summer of 1862. They were mustered into D Company of the 2nd Regiment, Indian Home Guards, Kansas Infantry. All of the Seneca men were placed in D Company. There were 95 men when the unit was formed.

Joseph and his brothers were issued Union blue uniforms and weapons. They cut their hair and dressed like white soldiers. The white men tried to teach them to fight, but their own way of fighting, which they learned as children would always take over. They practiced shooting, but would never fight in lines like the white men; using the guerrilla style of tactics that came naturally to them.

The 2nd Regiment made an expedition into Indian Territory (Oklahoma) where they captured Fort Gibson. They fought during Blount's Campaign in Missouri and Arkansas in the fall of '62. In late December, 1862, the 2nd Regiment made an expedition over Boston Mountains to capture Van Buren. Following that campaign, they were sent back to Indian Territory to occupy a line of the Arkansas River and protect friendly Indians, with Headquarters at Fort Smith, Ark., and at Fort Gibson, until May, 1865. 

Operations near Fort Gibson included Greenlief Prairie on June 16, Cabin Creek on July 1-2, and Elk Creek, near Honey Springs, on July 17. Then they conducted operation in Cherokee Nation September 11-25, 1863. On December 16, 1863, they repulsed Quantrell's attack on Fort Gibson. The Seneca brothers, numbering 32 in May, 1865 mustered out of service. 

During his time in the Army, Joseph fought in many engagements against both Confederate white soldiers and Indian units. He learned to shoot and to ride a horse with a saddle as well as to improve his understanding of English. Joseph fell in love with the white man's culture, but not the white man. He was thirsty for knowledge, deciding to travel the land to learn what he can about their way of life.

He started as a farm hand in southwestern Kansas. He found many other natives in this region and often traveled into Indian Territory (Oklahoma) to socialize with others. He even found other Onöndowá'ga people (Seneca) who had moved here from New York a century ago. He was welcomed into his new family with open arms. He split his time between working farms in Kansas and gathering with new family members in Indian Territory.

Eventually, he learned about outlaws and bounties. He learned a man could earn a living by capturing wanted criminals and turning them over to white lawmen. He saw this as an easy way to make money, albeit slightly dangerous. In fact, three of his brothers died during the course of taking five wanted men alive.

In the past six years as a Bounty Hunter, Joseph traveled with white, black and red bounty hunters. He enjoys his time with fellow natives like himself, but finds himself intrigued when in the company of white or black men willing to share with him. Joseph's life has been rigorous and challenging, but he maintains a positive attitude and is thrilled about his time on the American plains.

For the past two years, Joseph has been traveling with a man he met from Manitoba, Canada named Iiniwa or [i]Lauren Cartier[/i]. They split up three days ago. Lauren headed to Haylliesburg, Arizona, while Joseph went to Tucson to turn in a $100 bounty. Today, Joseph is nearing Haylliesburg to rejoin his partner.

[h3][center]Extra[/center][/h3]
[list][*] Speaks Seneca, Algonquin, English and conversational French
[*] Carries no animosity towards former Confederate Soldiers, only respect; especially for Quantrell's Raiders.
[*] Avoids alcohol when possible. Imbibes only occasionally. It turns him into a crazy person
[*] Has never participated in a game of cards. He will sit and watch card games without participating.
[*] Check out [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3580543]Joe's Journal[/url].
[*] My favorite western is [i]The Good, The Bad and The Ugly[/i][/list][/hider]