Name: Ransom Heath Burke
Appearance: Ransom stands a bit above six feet and boasts a very well-built frame. Years as his previous organization's muscle prepared him physically for a life on the trail. He can easily hold his own in a fight of strength, but it leaves him vulnerable to opponents more agile than him. He prefers to dress practically in a minimal amount of layering: a shirt and a vest will do just fine and a coat if he must keep up appearances. Ransom's hair is dark brown and rests at a length above his shoulders often tucked under a hat or pushed back from his face and styled for occasions that call for a more refined appearance. A beard and mustache hide a few scars such as a few on his lips and chin, but his most noticeable scar runs across the bridge of his nose and looks more like a claw mark than anything man-made. He has a nasty scar on his right thigh from a poorly removed bullet.
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Mount: Pandora, a Gallimimus
Occupation: Formerly, he was something of an outlaw. Now, he's joined the expedition to provide protection on the journey and perhaps find a job with the law when he arrives.
Specialized Skills: - Gunslinger: Ransom's past life has made him quite familiar with firearms and their use. He knows how to get himself out of gun-related combat with ease and can handle all of his weapons professionally.
- Scout: His life outside of the law has given him the uncanny ability to track others and thus detect the presence of hostile beings. He's certainly not as experienced with these skills out on the open road, but he's better than the layman.
Items: His most prized possessions are dual
revolvers that, he claims, are equipped with ivory grips. His other weapons include a
rifle, a
shotgun, and two
identical hunting knives. He has some cash on him and a few changes of clothes including a heavy, fur-lined coat. A mess-kit, a bedroll, and a small pick-axe accompany him. Ransom's less outspoken about the harmonica he's stashed away in his pack since he hasn't had much of a chance to learn to play. The necklace he wears appears to be some sort of stone, but he doesn't talk much about it either.
Personality: Once a man of action (and violent action at that), Ransom has decided to approach this journey with a more collected and conservative mindset. His compatriots may have already taken note of his quiet, brooding nature. He keeps to himself and appears to expect his fellow travelers to do the same. Still, with a bit more observation, one can see through this false exterior.
His mount, Pandora, is one of his closest friends following the circumstances of his departure from city life. He spoils her and is often found sleeping beside her on his bedroll. Ransom isn't the smartest man, but he has a quick wit and biting sense of humor when he finds himself willing to open up. It will take time for him to recover from the betrayal he felt before leaving the city, but he's committed himself to reforming himself for the sake of his fellow travelers.
History: Ransom grew up, for some time, as ordinary as possible within one of the nation's larger cities. The son of a factory foreman and a housewife, he preceded three more children, all girls. Just a few years after the youngest's birth, his father vanished with most of the family's savings. Ransom, by then 16, took up work at the same factory his father had worked. It was through this work, as he unloaded cargo to bring into the factory, that he first met Judd Albright.
Judd quickly charmed Ransom into doing simple jobs for him: skimming a bit of a shipment off here or there, running a small gambling ring in the factory. These actions caught up quickly to Ransom, and he was fired just before his eighteenth birthday. From there, Judd took Ransom fully and completely under his wing. What Judd lacked in physique, Ransom made up for, and what Ransom lacked in tact, Judd made up for.
Before long, the two went from simple illegal gambling to theft to racketeering at times as they built quite a circle of influence in the city and the surrounding area. Judd was the brains, Ransom was the muscle. At some point during it all, Ransom led a raid at a local stable full of prize Gallimimus, and that's where he found Pandora. She was hardly a year old at the time, and instead of selling her, he kept her for himself.
About three years after that, Ransom was arrested during a small bar fight. By then, with quite a name for himself, he was also charged with numerous offenses that would have sent another man to jail. Judd had, it seemed, always ensured it was Ransom who would take the fall. Convinced to cooperate, Ransom entered a plea bargain to rat out Judd in exchange for some semblance of his freedom. He was released following the conviction of Judd Albright and handed a letter that detailed the establishment of a new settlement. Surely, he was told, they'd appreciate the protection of a man who knew his way around guns whether or not he'd been a wanted criminal.
Other: When the weather is particularly bad, he has a slight limp in his right leg due to a bullet wound near his hip that never really healed properly.
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