The Town

Project Specifications

Please populate this town in our wild west RPG, working title "Vendetta." 

The PC reaches Liberty about halfway through the game, after their entire family was butchered by the outlaw gang, the White Hand. At this point the PC has followed the path of the gang's progress through several small towns and pueblos, and killed two or three of the gang. Laura Fields -- the gang's leader, aka "Boney," -- her second in command E. A. Pickett, and a handful of outlaws and desperados are still at large, and may have passed through Liberty looking for her cousin, Delilah Chacon. 

Chacon owns the Liberty tin mine, and is Liberty's wealthiest resident. Although the town is largely peaceful, Chacon runs the town and makes the rules. This includes having a hand in moving stolen goods like rustled horses, operating crooked gambling establishments around the state and harboring wanted fugitives. The sheriff is on her bankroll, as are the nearest Marshals. Chacon resides part time in the state capital, part time in Liberty near the mines.

As the player comes into town, they have arrived two days behind Boney, who got help from Chacon in the way of guns, fresh  horses and a handful of new crew. These are mostly miners Chacon drummed up, and not as dangerous as the White Hand regulars, but they'll still be able to shoot.

Chacon is still hiding Boney when the player arrives. 

Please populate Liberty with the following:

5 NPCs with backstory, identity and motives whom the PC can meet, befriend, make enemies of and/or romance. Please create character descriptions, how they might relate to the PC, their place in town and significant connections to other townsfolk, their relationship to Chacon and if they know about Boney -- as well as how the PC might influence them to get information or help. Use photos from the internet for our artists to use as inspiration (don't worry about copyright, it's inspiration only).  

8 NPCs with whom the PC can have brief interactions to find out more about the town, Chacon, or to influence them to the PC's cause. They should have a brief backstory, relationship to the town, and a handful of dominant motives or interests. Include a brief outline of a sample interaction with each one, and a couple of lines of sample dialogue. 

10 miscellaneous NPCs. These are flavor NPCs and should just be part of the scenery of the town. They'll have a couple of barks of greeting or flavor conversations between themselves to help create Liberty's environment. You don't have to create the dialogue right now.

Other requirements: 

- Please include Puebloans, Mexicans and people of color; the population of Liberty is likely to be predominantly Mexican.

- Population should represent the town's defining locations such as the mine, the ranchos and the saloon.

- The PC should be able to influence at least 1/3 of the population to their side, although as many as half may claim to be on their side -- but will then betray them.

My Project

Major Characters

Anaba Tso

Anaba Tso is the owner of Liberty's small but well-stocked general store, and one of the town's older residents. The player might meet her in or around her store, where she spends most of her time struggling to keep things running. Anaba's well-known and respected around town, with just about everyone having business at her store of one kind or another. She's known to have a somewhat short temper and a low tolerance for tomfoolery, especially as it pertains to her store, and is quite content with the order of things in Liberty– which puts her in the good graces of power brokers like Delilah Chacon, but at odds with other residents like Hilda Castillo. 

Born to Hopi parents in Arizona, Anaba was displaced in her youth by white homesteaders. Not by her own choice, she left home and traveled around the Southwest through most of her twenties. Eventually, she landed in the then miniscule town of Liberty– at that point little more than a trading post by the river. She met Delilah Chacon, who at that point was just starting to buy up the land and opening the Liberty mines over in the hills outside town. Anaba and Delilah hit it off, and soon became business partners– growing the town and making themselves wealthy in the meantime. A local leader, Anaba strongly ties the peace and prosperity of the town to her own sense of self-worth, seeing it as a manifestation of her hard work.

Anaba knows about Chacon's connection to Boney and the White Hand gang, but knows better than to press the issue. She harbors a deep love and respect for Delilah, and holds her success and recognition among the townsfolk as being connected to her own. When the player arrives in Liberty, Anaba is a vocal advocate for Chacon and sings her virtues, and will push back against any indication that she's harboring a violent criminal– even though, deep down, she knows Delilah's growing corruption is bad for the town. She resents the time that Delilah spends in Austin and the increasingly-shady business she gets up to, and knows that harboring the White Hand can mean only bad things for the people of Liberty.

The player might be able to influence Anaba to their side by leveraging this dissonance within her– appealing to her connection to the town and its people, getting her to see that Delilah harboring Boney puts everything and everyone else in jeopardy.

Hilda Castillo 

Hilda Castillo is the tenant in charge of the Tall Clouds Ranch, beholden to its owner Delilah Chacon. The player might hear about her through one of the cowhands she employs, or the older business owners in town who speak ill of her behind her back– she's well-liked by the people she employs and works with, but the other business leaders see her as an interloper or a product of nepotism.

Hilda was born to a Black mother and a Mexican father shortly following emancipation. Even though she was not born into bondage, she and her parents did not have liberty– they were legally free, but beholden just the same to wealthy white landowners through sharecropping. Her parents worked themselves to the bone struggling to survive and provide for their daughter, and died young, leaving Hilda– then still a teenager– little besides her freedom. 

She wound up in Liberty working as a cowhand for Sylas Benally, a man of Navajo descent and Tall Clouds' previous tenant. Sylas was a soft spoken and gentle man, quietly displeased with being beholden to Delilah Chacon, especially because she grew increasingly open in her corruption as time went on, but being too afraid of losing what little he had to risk making any big change. Hilda grew close to Sylas, recognizing the same struggle her parents faced in the man. Many other workers and townsfolk cast accusatory glances toward Sylas and Hilda, making up rumors about why the young woman would be so close to the old ranch hand. As time went on, Hilda took over more of the ranch's responsibilities, and, when Sylas died, she became the new tenant according to his wishes. Immediately, though, she found herself in a tough position: the older cowhands, especially the white ones, didn't take kindly to working for a woman of color, and accused her of somehow manipulating Sylas. To the workers who remained, though, she's a good and generous leader, determined to make something workable out of the hand she's dealt. She has a somewhat multifaceted relationship to Delilah– she's grateful to her and Sylas for letting her take over the ranch, but she detests that it's put her at the whim of a wealthy landowner in the same way her parents were. As a consequence of that, she tends to look the other way when Delilah gets up to shady business.

Because of this, Hilda isn't aware of Delilah's connection to Boney and the White Hand gang. She's heard rumors about Laura Fields, but chooses to believe them to be fabricated by the townsfolk– they made up all manner of stories about her, after all. Moreso, Hilda doesn't want to believe that the work she does for Delilah– which is, again, basically indentured servitude– is funding a group of murderous criminals. To Hilda, that's simply too many layers of injustice to handle, and so she chooses to look away, even if she does hold some trepidation about the rumors surrounding Delilah.

The player might be able to get Hilda on their side by presenting her with indisputable evidence about Boney and the White Hand gang being under Delilah's protection. However, this revelation causes her to feel complicit in the gang's activity, resenting that she hadn't done anything sooner and thinking it might be better for her to leave the town altogether rather than get involved further. If the PC is sufficiently close to Hilda– romantically or platonically– they might be able to convince her that she's not to blame for Delilah's actions, that she deserves to be where she is, and that she's vindicated in being upset. Hilda might be able to help influence the cowhands she works with to the PC's side.

Norman "Bender" Russel

One of the best cowhands employed by Hilda Castillo, Norman "Bender" Russel is a young Black man who was born to emancipated parents a short ways away from Liberty. Like many of the local cowboys, he's known to be a bit of an arrogant showboat, but also known to be able to back up the talk. Many of the town's old guard, including Delilah Chacon, see him as an annoying nuisance. Behind the bravado and the show at machismo there's a softer side to Norman, despite his efforts to hide it, that comes out for the people he's close to. The player might find him carousing at the saloon or horse breaking at the Tall Clouds ranch.

Norman spent his adolescence and early adulthood in the Liberty Tin Mines, but when his father died in an accident, Norman had a grief-struck falling out with the mine's foreman and quit. He left the town, much to the dismay of his mother, who he left behind there. 

He drifted around the region surrounding Liberty for a time, and eventually fell in with a crew of bandits led by E.A. Pickett, who would later become Boney's right-hand man. Norman found he was a good shootist and a fantastic rider, and flourished under Pickett. Shortly before Pickett joined up with Boney, Norman received word that his mother had died of tuberculosis back in Liberty. He left Pickett and returned to Liberty to mourn. Overwhelmed with grief for having left his mother behind and convinced that he was somehow to blame for her death, Norman started putting walls up. He leaned more heavily into his "Bender Russel" cowboy persona and the showy cowboy culture, getting into trouble all the way through. He works for Hilda Castillo at the Tall Clouds Ranch as a cowhand, where he's just starting to rebuild his life following the loss of his mother. Norman likes Castillo quite a bit, and enjoys the work he does for her.

Having worked previously with Pickett, Norman knows about Boney and her connection to Delilah Chacon, but, quite frankly, doesn't care too much. He's a gunslinger too, after all, he's killed people. When the player meets him he wants nothing more than to stay neutral in the affair– on one hand he has a past with Pickett, but on the other he feels some obligation to Castillo, and he would rather not choose between the two.

Norman will eventually pick a side, however. Pickett, on behalf of Boney, will eventually convince Norman to come back into the fold unless the player intervenes. His loyalty is to individual people he's close to rather than the town itself, so the player might be able to get him on their side by getting close to him– romantically or platonically– and convincing him to lower some of the barriers he's built around himself. Additionally, the player might be able to persuade him by getting some help from Hilda Castillo.

Mateo Herrera

Mateo Herrerra is the owner and operator of Liberty's saloon, the town's designated third place and social nexus. Mateo is a sort of father figure for many in Liberty, and he revels in that position. He's a sociable and well-liked man who's known to stir up rumors and drama among the town's residents. Behind his friendly and somewhat blundering demeanor, Mateo is a somewhat calculating and shrewd individual, often using his charisma to play people to his advantage. They player is most likely to find him behind the bar of the saloon, slinging whiskey and chatting up the regulars.

Mateo was born in Oaxaca and traveled Mexico a lot during his adolescence. As a boy, Mateo would often get in trouble with parents, instructors, and bosses, because of his tendency to run his mouth and socialize more than work. Due to this, Mateo could never keep a stable job (or life) down– he was always on the move, always searching for a new gig, because the current one was bound to fall through sooner or later. 

Eventually, as a young man, Mateo found his way northward to the town of Liberty. The town was up and coming when he arrived; the tin mines had just been opened and the surrounding properties had started to be bought up by Delilah Chacon and supported by Laura "Boney'' Fields. The three became quick friends, and Mateo would eventually open a small, dingy saloon in the town. Mateo (and the bar he operated) quickly became Liberty's social nexus, and the bar grew in size and revenue at a commensurate rate with the town. He found he was finally able to leverage his charisma in a way that benefitted himself– and, the way he saw it, the rest of the town as well. Over the years, Mateo would use his voice and his sway over the people of Liberty to influence things to his and Delilah's ends, playing the role of a local power broker. He remains a close friend and business associate to Delilah, running much of the less-than-legal gambling that she facilitates.

Being as close as he is to Delilah and Boney, Mateo is very aware of Boney and the rest of the White Hand gang, and how Chacon is harboring them in town. To Mateo, however, this is just another angle to play to his advantage– he's a major influencer in the town's social circle, and will use his sway to try to convince people like Russel and the other cowhands to their side.

Mateo is both loyal and cunning, and will play along if the player tries to get him on their side in hunting down Boney. If the player divulges too much about their reasons for being in town and their relationship to Boney, Mateo will pass that information along to Boney and Chacon, and do his best to convince the other townsfolk to turn against the player. 

Dr. Jesse Clarke

A visitor to the town and a bit of a local enigma, Dr. Jesse Clarke is a physician and tuberculosis researcher. Like anywhere in the West, consumption is a leading cause of death in Liberty, and Dr. Clarke is here to do some field research. Many of the people of the town see him as a bit stuck-up and pretentious, and refer to him derogatorily as "Mr. Cambridge" behind his back. Jesse is a private and somewhat shy individual, but has been known to patch up cowhands after bar fights or other scuffles, which has bought a reputation for kindness and generosity among that crowd.

Born to a wealthy family in Massachusetts, Jesse grew up in a bit of a gilded cage. Jesse is a trans man, and though he grew up in wealth and privilege, had to carefully guard how he presented and existed around his family. That tension and the expectations levied upon him by his family led him to eventually break off contact when he went to University. Though he was now able to live more safely and authentically as himself, he was still somewhat isolated among his peers and still felt a need to keep a distance and not get too close. Additionally, he still held on to a belief in meritocracy that was etched deep into his mind as someone who grew up in wealth. During his time at university, Jesse would bury himself in his work and revel in its difficulty, attaching that effort and struggle directly to his sense of worth as a doctor and a person– he was a harder worker, and that made him more virtuous than the people around him. 

Jesse would eventually obtain his medical doctorate and devote much of his time into research surrounding tuberculosis, with a particular focus on how the disease spread throughout populations and throughout individual bodies. Jesse spends a lot of his time traveling to conferences and conducting field work, eventually finding his way to the Southwest. Eventually, he's contacted by Delilah Chacon, who wants to fund some research. By the time he arrives in Liberty, he is well and truly outside of the bubble he grew up in, and his assumptions about worth and merit are starting to break down a little. 

He draws some connection between Delilah Chacon's wealthy corruption and his own wealthy family, and recognizes that people like Norman Russel, Hilda Castillo, and Yan Xiaodan are some of the hardest-working people he's met and still remain at the bottom of the social ladder. In response to this, he's ended up in a bit of an apathetic state– convinced that the truths he grew up with were lies, and that he's better off making a difference on a smaller scale than trying to upset broader social structures that he's convinced himself he barely understands. Jesse is currently living in a rented room above the saloon, where he compiles his field notes and occasionally comes downstairs to stitch up bullet holes.

Being a new visitor to town, and only knowing Delilah Chacon as a wealthy benefactor for his research, Jesse does not know about Boney or the rest of the White Hand gang being hidden away in the town. If the PC presses him about it, Jesse will express that it's hardly surprising, and it's probably better to do what he can to help these folks on an individual level than try to shake up the town's power structures. If the player gets sufficiently close to him– platonically or romantically– they might be able to convince him that his experiences within power structures like Liberty's are valid, and that he needs to trust himself to do the right thing, even if he's been wrong in the past.

Minor Characters

Yan Xiaodan

An older Chinese man who came to Liberty looking for work, which he eventually found in Chacon's tin mines. Xiaodan defines his place in the town entirely by his hard work, which is what he believes determines a person's value. 

By the time the player arrives in Liberty, he's been made the mine's foreman, and the player might interact with him in the mines, where he might have some useful information about Delilah's– and, by extension, Boney's– whereabouts.

Kasa Yoe

A Hopi woman who works at Tall Clouds as a cowhand. She faces a lot of adversity as a woman– especially a woman of color– in the male-dominated field of animal husbandry, and so leans into the macho cowboy culture in an attempt to better fit in. 

Kasa can be found working at the ranch or carousing in town with the other cowhands, often getting into fights, drinking, and brandishing weapons at people. If approached and asked about Chacon or Boney, she might direct the player to Norman Russel instead.

Ana Rivera

Ana is an older woman from Mexico that runs the town's tannery down by the river. She's a somewhat private person, well-suited to the somewhat isolated occupation of tannery, and is seen as somewhat crotchety and unpleasant by the other townsfolk. However, she's a very good leatherworker, and many of the townsfolk make regular use of her wares.

The player might find Ana in her tannery, where they might commission her for saddles, holsters, or other leatherwork. She sticks to her own business and will likely berate the player if they try to extract information from her about the other townsfolk.

Katherine Fischer

Katherine is the town's blacksmith and an old friend of Boney's. A white woman from California, Katherine fled to the Southwest for rumors that remain shrouded in mystery to the townsfolk, but her former association with Boney indicates to some that she has a criminal past. More than anything, she wants to lay low and live a calm life, and Boney's return to Liberty threatens that.

Katherine can be found at her smithy down by the river, or around the bathhouse, which she frequents. If asked about Boney, she'll maintain that she doesn't want to be involved, but might help direct the player to people who can help, like Hilda Castillo or Dr. Clarke.

Davíd Medina

The town's resident barber, Davíd moved to Liberty just a few months ago. He owns the town's salon and bathhouse, and makes good money doing so. Davíd gets along particularly well with Mateo Herrera, as both are very gregarious and sociable individuals.

As the town's barber, Davíd is intimately familiar with the goings on in many of the town folks' lives, and Herrera uses him as a sort of source of reconnaissance. Many of the rumors whispered in the town's saloon originate in Davíd's barber shop.

Tuwa Gilbert

Tuwa is a Hopi woman who works as a trapper and hunter, often selling her wares to the town. She doesn't have a permanent residence in town, and instead spends much of her time roughing it on the plains. She's saving up money to buy a piece of land to call her own, and is generally a secluded but friendly enough conversationalist.

The player might find her on the outskirts of town, or selling meat and skins on the main street. As a bit of a nomadic outsider, she can't help much in the way of finding Boney, but will nonetheless offer to help take her down– that is, if she can get a cut of Boney's bounty.

Cornelius Burch

Cornelius Burch is an old British man who runs the stagecoach company that operates in the area. He's a friend of both John Pierce and Delilah Chacon, and regularly has his pockets lined by the latter. He wants to grow his influence in the town but is a bit of a blundering fool, and is regularly persuaded to be on his way by sizable "investments" from Delilah's coffers.

The player might find him in various places of business around town. He has absolutely no useful information for the player, and will instead decree his own business acumen and crucial role in putting Liberty on the map if interacted with.

Adriana Domínguez

Ms. Domínguez is the local school teacher in Liberty. She's well liked by the people of the town, who regard her positively as one of the few well-read people in the region. She's skeptical of Delilah Chacon's more shady activities and will always prioritize the well-being of her students and, if pushed, the town at large.

The player might find her at the schoolhouse or at another place of business, where she will direct the player towards Dr. Clarke.

Misc. Characters

Zou Yongnian

A Chinese immigrant who works in the mine. He's young, around his early twenties, and can be overheard in the tin mines speaking with Yan Xiaodan in Mandarin.

Mack "Pistol" Puckett

A young and loud-mouthed white cowboy who frequents Herrera's saloon. He can be met carousing in the saloon or working at Tall Clouds Ranch, and is a friend and associate of Norman Russel and Kasa Yoe.

Rubén Morales

A carpenter and general laborer who works repairing many of the town's buildings. Can often be seen fixing broken windows or tables at the saloon.

Aida Rodríguez

A Cuban woman who works at the bathhouse. Can be seen talking to Davíd at her workplace, where they often gossip about various patrons.

Doba Chee

A Navajo woman who lives on a homestead outside of town with Tawa. She sometimes comes into town with Tawa, and can occasionally be seen catching up with friends at the saloon.

Tawa Bahnimptewa

A Hopi man who lives a short ways out of town on a small homestead with Doba. He can be seen coming into town to buy supplies and catch up with townsfolk at the tavern.

Jacinta Gutiérrez

An outlaw who works for Boney. She can be found stalking the corners of the saloon, ready to get into a fight. 

Bianca De León

A Guatemalan woman who lives in town and works as a tinkerer. She can often be seen speaking to Anaba Tso in the general store, trying to pitch her strange mechanical inventions to her.

Ximena Garza

A local mystic of sorts, Ximena is a Mexican woman that the townsfolk occasionally consult regarding matters of myth and the occult. She spends most of her time in her small cabin on the outskirts of town, where people occasionally visit for advice.

Padre Santiago

The town's local preacher. The player might find him giving a sermon to a small crowd at the church, or greeting townsfolk on his way to and from his small apartment above the general store.