[hider=John Tatum (aka "Scarecrow Jack," "Wanderin' Jack")]

[img]https://frontierpartisans.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/SJTB_sketch_004_color.jpg[/img]


Name: John Tatum (more commonly known as "Scarecrow Jack" or "Wanderin' Jack")
 
Age: 36
 
Descriptor: Appalachian guitar-pickin' Wise Man.
 
Appearance: One quick glance tells you where the nickname came from: John is over six feet tall, thin and tough like an iron nail.  His clean-shaven face is not unhandsome, with blue eyes clear and sharp like a mountain creek, a prominent nose, and an honest smile.  His brown hair is a bit unruly and tucked under a shapeless hat.  His hands are large and capable-looking.  While his clothes aren't fancy, they are rugged, practical, and in good repair.
 
Biography: John was born and raised in the part of Appalachia that would later be called West Virginia.  He was trained as an outdoorsman from an early age.  He had a quiet step, a sharp eye, and a fair hand with a rifle even before he was conscripted into the Union army.  With a copy of The Long Lost Friend in his pocket he was able to help his fellow soldiers maintain their health and their faith on the campaign trail.
 
Once the war ended, John Intended to settle down in his beloved mountains. But was seized with a restlessness that has occupied him ever since.  His endless travels and natural curiosity have led him to people both good and evil, and circumstances both natural and unnatural.  Soon enough he realized he was a Wanderer, propelled by some unseen calling to travel about and help the small folk across the land. 
 
More recently, that drive sent him across the mighty Mississippi.  Nowadays he's not sure if there's something pushing him from behind, or calling him forward.  Is Ulysses the cynosure of his calling?  He doesn't know, but that's where he's headed...

Normal skills: 

Outdoor survival. John is an accomplished outdoorsman, actually more comfortable sleeping outside than indoors. He can fend for himself outdoors for an extended period of time, identify plants and animals, track, hunt & forage well, and do a pretty good job of not getting lost.
Good shot with a rifle. Less so with a revolver.
Broad scope of folk knowledge. Including herbal lore, basic homey skills, and a vast array of knowledge about spirits, ghosts, ghouls, and all kinds of unnatural creatures and how to deal with them.
Wandering balladeer. John's an excellent guitar player who knows hundreds of songs. He can also make up a song on the spur of the moment.
Bare-knuckle fighter. John can put up his dukes when he needs to.
Will power and resolve. John don't give up easy, and he never surrenders to evil.


Special skills: 

White magic. While John has never been apprenticed to a magical teacher, he has a lot of practical experience with white magic, mostly protective/defensive/abjurational charms and rituals. He still has his dog-eared copy of The Long Lost Friend to help him.


Normal possessions: Bedroll, tinder box, Bowie knife, hunting rifle and cartridges, water skin, change of clothes, good boots, beat-up hat, copy of The Long Lost Friend

Special possessions: Hand-made guitar with silver strings.  The guitar itself is only special in that it sounds very nice.  The strings are pure silver, but somehow put forth remarkable music.  John sometimes uses his music to aid him in his white magic.  [/hider]