Sign Up The Quest for Zubeida's Gold

[terra]

[center][img]http://pantheon.yale.edu/~elc23/fun/r_zubeida.gif[/img][/center]
In the time of doubloons, damsels fair, and duels at noon, two of the most powerful bands of outlaws in all of Texas are joining forces. Why? you might ask, trembling in fear -- to overtake the state? to terrorize innocent maidens? No, the answer is rather simpler than that: to gain riches beyond man?s imagination.

The Caballeros, a band of arrogant pirates, and the Desperados, cowboy outlaws extraordinaire, have been battling for control over the port city of Galveston for the past twenty years. On one hand, the Caballeros swagger through town inspiring respect for their ruthlessness and cutlasses. Their willingness to spend and lend gold helps the economy of the town and fills the pockets of many merchants. On the other hand, the Desperados serve the duty of sheriffs, helping citizens pursue criminals -- provided they weren't the perpetrators themselves. Sure, they might steal gold from the occasional bank, but they also provide the city with the necessary protection.

So the question begs to be asked: why in the world would these historically conflicting groups ever band together? Well, each captain?s only got half the treasure map ...


[center][img]http://pantheon.yale.edu/~elc23/fun/r_pirates.jpg[/img][/center]
[u]The Caballeros.[/u] Merely speaking their name drives fear into the hearts of seafaring men. They?re called pirates?the most feared band of pirates that currently sails the open sea. Led by Captain Flint, they own a majestic vessel named the Damned Mistress, and they often dock in Galveston and patronize the city. Much of their ?business? is conducted aboard the Damned Mistress, including the waylaying of other ships and the exporting of certain illegal goods to the great profit of the Caballeros. Captain Flint runs a tight ship, and his pirates, though rowdy at times, tend not to pillage unnecessarily and they are never allowed to rape women. Their name stems from the Spanish for "gentlemen," after all.


[center][img]http://pantheon.yale.edu/~elc23/fun/r_cowboys.jpg[/img][/center]
[u]The Desperados.[/u] Notorious on the frontier for their wild, unpredictable nature and impossibly excellent aim, these outlaws are second to none. More than just mere bandits, the men and women of the Desperados often hire out as body guards, assassins, and watchmen, and have never failed in defending those who need it - for a price, of course. Led by the dangerous [i]vaquero[/i] Finn, only those who are incredibly brave (or more likely incredibly stupid) challenge these rough cowboys. But they aren't all bad; these outlaws have a set of rules to follow, and honor to uphold, and those who stray away from Finn's "good" example will only find themselves a target of Finn himself.

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If it wasn't clear from the above, the story is basically that there are two fearsome bands of outlaws who have historically been in conflict, and they have to combine forces in order to find a hidden treasure. I'll be playing the leader of the Caballeros (pirates), and Arcadia will be the leader of the Desperados (cowboys). You guys can sign up as a member of either group. This RPG is intended to be somewhat on the lighter side, more fun than goriness, but hopefully it'll also stay interesting.

In order to keep the overall story more than "we walked here and then found some gold," the group will run into plot twists on the way that the cowboys and pirates will have to deal with. If you'd like to have one of the post that introduces a plot twist (and that'd be great!), PM me and I'll let you know when one comes up, and what it will be.

If you have any plot twists to suggest (attempted uprising against the leaders, or whatever else you might come up with) PM me. Optionally, you could create some dark secret for your character that could then be uncovered along the journey (other characters might have one or two!). If that's the case, PM me (or Arcadia if it's a cowboy thing and you don't want the pirates to know) with the secret and we will figure out a way to work it into the plot so it?s still relatively logical.

Please make your signup quite detailed and interesting. Also keep in mind that this is the cowboy/pirate era (the 1800's) so there are no lasers or machine guns. It's the wild west, baby.

Will you join us on the quest for Zubeida's gold?

[b]Name:[/b] (Your real name. Keep unknown mysteries to a minimum please!)
[b]Goes by:[/b] (Do you have a nickname? Optional.)
[b]Affiliation:[/b] (Desperados or Caballeros -- edit, forgot earlier :p)
[b]Age:[/b] (Can be approximate. Also, please don't be ridiculously young.)
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Biography:[/b] (Here is where you should get very detailed. And you can come up with something amusing if you'd like, as long as it makes sense. Both the Caballeros and the Desperados have been established groups for about sixty years and are originally from Spain. The Desperados have been in America for forty years, and the Caballeros for twenty-five.)

[b]EDIT:[/b] Captain Flint and Finn are both guys. Just in case that wasn't clear.

[Dragon Warrior]

Name: Damario Dantes

Goes by: Notorious

Age: 24

Affiliation: Caballeros

Appearance: Long black hair, darkened eyes, tanned skin, kind of raggedy-looking, a normal pirate. He has a destinct cruel grin, but he's not as evil as he appears.

Personality: He has a wide variety of characteristics and can be quite unexpecting since he could he happy one minute and break out into a yelling fit the next. His temper can reach as high as the heavens, but his kindness can be like gold. Damario, or Notorious, is unknown to many and no one can really get him. That and his grin can just make one wonder of his ways.

Biography: Notorious is one of those pirates one does not think twice about messing with, but there are those who are a bit careless. I'm not saying he is undefeated. He's had his moments of being deck-washed, so to speak. After plundering for the great treasure of Ca'Tara, he almost lost his life from being chucked into the sea during a storm and swallowed up. He managed to escape to shore where he had met Captain Flint, whom took him into his crew. Mastering the sword, he's been with the Damned Mistress since.

[Wolf Maximas13]

rrrrr, sorry just had to do that. :)

Name: Lang
Goes by: Wolf
Affiliation: Caballeros
Age: 22
Appearance: He has white hair falling about his shoulder low. It's very thin so dosen't look like much really, but its kept in a nice pony tail with a band given to him by a maiden. His eyes are deep green and can cause most ladies to lose train of thought if they stare into them for to long. He wears a white no sleeve shirt. The shoulder tips are pointed out though. The neck, arm, and waste bands are red. He wears a white sash with another madiens gift wound around it. Red pants and shoes ( closest thing pirates could have for shoes, that is) finish of his decor. He also wears arm bands of white edged with gold.
Personality: Even though he does have many gifts from many a diffrent lady. He does not consider himself a ladies man, nor for that matter any of there "boyfriends." He just happens to save alot of damsels in distress for some reason. For the most part he's a fun loving guy. I mean come on, he is a pirate after all. His humor is great but his jokes are not. His humor comes not from the punch line its self, but the just plane badness ( yes i know its not a word, but it fits what i'm trying to get across).
Bio: Born of a pesent family and left alone at a younf age....NOT. That ones done way to much. Lang was just a normal boy growing up in the good old lone star state. His name might be funny to most native borns, for his mother wasn't that native herself. But that didn't bother him, he liked the name and the meaning, wolf. Which he decided to call himself after he found out thats what his name meant. He joined the good old Caballeros at 16. He wanted some good adventure, and was tired of school. So, he hoped ship and joined the crew. While aboard he learned to sword fight better then most the normal crew. He also learned how to be quit chivaleris. He had a sword made for him while in China one time. It is a normal chinese broad sword ( curve blade, opposite curved handle) but with his name engraved into the blade in Chinese. He keeps it well by his side under his white sash for the need arises its self.

That should do, let me no if i get in, matey ( my dictionary didn't have that word in it. stupid computer).

[Ben]

Name: Benjamin Waterdike
Goes by: Buckshot Benny

Affiliation: Desperados

Age: 47

Appearance: [url=http://www.hpz.com/bildbearbeitung/cowboy.gif]Benny[/url]

Personality: Generally a jovial sort of person, Benny tends to not take life very seriously. Taking risks that he probably shouldn't, he often receives rather debilitating injuries, which he merely laughs off.

Biography: Benny was born and raised an outlaw. When a mining incident left him with blurred vision, he was left behind by his family. Money had been scarce of late and they couldn't afford to feed a mouth that was attached to an unworking body. So Benny was taken in by the Desperado's. The outlaws used him to cover their escapes, giving him a shotgun loaded with buckshot. Despite occasional mishaps where a few men caught some of the pellets by mistake, the Desperados grew to love Benny and his optimistic attitude. It was a rare thing given the times and his circumstances. Benny is rarely left unattended, as his poor eyesight often leads him into trouble.

[Mitch]

[size=1] Not sure how much I'll get into this RPG. But let's make it good. Heh.[/size]

[b]Name:[/b] Mitchell "Beater" Grant Smith
[b]Goes by:[/b] Beater; Itch; MG Smith.
[b]Affiliation:[/b] Desperados.
[b]Age:[/b] 24
[b]Appearance:[/b] About 6' tall, never wears a hat, has blonde hair. The texan look, basically. He has vivid green eyes, as round as stones and smooth as pebbles.
[b]Personality:[/b] A smooth-talking ladies' man. He is sneaky, sometimes sarcastic. He knows how to get what he wants, and knows how to play mind games.
[b]Biography: [/b]He was born from a hooker who had gotten drunk and had been impregnated from her client.

His mother's name was Veloria. Mitch doesn't remember her too well. She abandoned him when he was young and gave him to a close friend of hers, Nancy.

Nancy took care of Mitch until he was in his 20s, when he finally left his town of birth for good. With a burning heart, he then joined the Desparados, and he's been a higher-ranking member ever since.

He enjoys writing as well as nature. He has often written poems, and has a nice collection of his verses.

He is often respected, egotistical, and candid and blunt. He says things like they are, and sometimes overreacts when things are pushed at him from all directions.

All of these feelings come from how little attention he was paid when he was younger.

Not even remembering his mom, and not raised with too much attention from Nancy, he is the person that he stands as today.

[silpheedpilot]

I might as well.
~~~

[COLOR=Blue][B]Name:[/B] Conrad Crowe

[B]Goes by:[/B] Spar

[B]Affiliation:[/B] Caballeros

[B]Age:[/B] About 30

[B]Appearance:[/B] Spar takes pride in his look, and tries to stay clean. Although sometimes that cant happen. He has long black hair hair, tied back. He has blue eyes that seem to shine. He is a slightly tall man standing at 6 foot. He usually wears a red cotton shirt under a maroon leather jacket. He covers his hands with light brown leather gloves, with steel studs around the wrists. His legs are covered in red cotton trousers with ornate stitchings on them. He also wears dark brown boots that come up past the knee, but he folded the leather over and now it reaches to the base of his knee cap.

[B]Personality:[/B] A quiet man. Usually talks when spoken too, or unless conversation is needed. He tends to drift into fights with other crew members, and is usually the first throw out of the saloon. He carries a flask of alchohol in his leather jacket to sip from when he is feeling agitated.

[B]Biography:[/B] Spar lived around the sea his whole life, living in a small cottage just up the shore. After the days' chores, and learning english he went down to play in the water everyday, after learning to swim he became more facinated with the sea and spent more time down at the shore. Then one day a group of Cowboy marauders ransacked his home and brutally murdered his mother, seriously wounded his father and hung his sister. (Not the Desperados)
Spar came back after a long days swim to find his home in ruins and half his family dead. He went to his father who was barely breathing, and dropped to his knees crying. His father told him about mess of money he had under the floorboards and to tear up the planks and take the money. Spar tried to get his father to help, but his father was too weak and wounded. His father died shortly after Spar left to get help. From that day Spar vowed to join up with Pirates and use his skills in the water to fight off Cowboys...And he did so, until now.[/COLOR]

[Wondershot]

Name: Vincent R.

A.K.A.: Vince, Saladman (strange but true)

Affiliation: Desperados

Age: 25

Appearance: Vince always looks relaxed and doesn't care too much for his appearance. His face is weathered and unshaven, and several tiny red marks indicate that he scratches his face a lot. He usually wears a cowboy hat that partially covers long brown hair. He keeps his eyes hidden at almost all times and wears a red bandanna around his neck. He wears a torn leather coat and somewhat muddy cotton shirt underneath. He also wears leather overalls which have holes at the knees, his knees have also been bandaged up. He also wears boots which are very muddy and discolored. He is about 6'2" and weighs 140 pounds. He also has two holsters for twin Colt six-shooters, a shotgun attached to his leg, and a Derringer and a knife under his jacket.

Personality: Vince's appearance is very contradictory to his actual personality. He is very smart and chooses his words carefully, and he has a very articulate voice. Otherwise, he is very relaxed and cool about everything, and never seems to worry about danger. He thinks things through before trying to carry them out, and is very prudent despite his calm attitude. Basically a walking contradiction: gritty but smart, cool but careful.

Biography: Vince lived a relatively normal life throughout his time, and the only thing was that despite being part of a wealthy family, he was an incredible troublemaker. He would run rampant throughout his hometown, destroying property and pushing other kids around. He would leave school to walk around wherever he pleased, and took a great pleasure in wandering through the town, outside the town into the deserts and mountains, and coming home with all kinds of scratches and bites as proof of his exploits. He also hated having a clean-cut appearance, and every day would come back more filthy then the last. No disciplinary measure or rule could bind this free-spirited young man, and nothing his parents could do could change him. He was even thrown in jail once to be taught a lesson, but managed to break out and wander off again. His parents had finally reached the end of their rope, and would not allow him back in the house. They were still his parents, but they treated him like some wild animal, throwing him food outside. He got rid of his last name because of this, and always puts Vincent R. as his full name. He was actually happy to oblige, and spent much of his time walking farther and farther away from home before coming back again. There were times when his parents wouldn't see him for whole days before he returned, and sometimes he came back with money, liquor, or someone's gun.

In his early adult years, Vince knew everything there was to know about his town and the surrounding area whole miles away. One day on one of his walks, he saw a huge group of bandits rushing in his direction. Vince hid and watched them pass, intrigued, he followed them in the direction they were going, and returned home to find that the town had been pillaged, and his entire family had been robbed. Vince grimaced at this news, and then departed on one of his longest trips ever, one that he did not return from...

After more years of exploits, Vince, without giving any details as to where he was, resurfaced as one of the Desperados after Captain Finn himself personally appointed Vince as one of his men. Vince, despite keeping his eyes hidden, has excellent aim with his Colt and keeps the Derringer and knife for more close-quarters situations. He rarely takes out the shotgun unless he is serious, which is almost never, and he is very adept at learning about terrain and taking full advantage of the lay of the land. He earned the nickname "Saladman" as his reluctance to eat meat, or food in general, and he is rearely seen at the meal table, probably an inherent trait from his years outside.


Hope this is okay...

[Dragon Warrior]

Hey Ms. Terra, we startin' this soon? ^_^ I like piratesness and this seems like a good RPG. I don't see those that often :<

[terra]

I'm eager to start this as well, but I think I'm going to wait a while longer for signups. You never know :p.

Also, here's my signup and Arcadia should be posting hers shortly after. My signup contains a lot of the history of the Caballeros (and Arcadia's will probably have the Desperados'), and unfortunately it might not correspond with some of the things you guys have in your bios (for example, DW, I don't think your character could be first mate as he's really young; read the bio and you'll see). [b]If you see something conflicting, please edit your bios[/b]; sorry about that.

[b]Name:[/b] Captain Flint
[b]Goes by:[/b] Captain, Flint, Captain Flint ...
[b]Age:[/b] late 20's-early 30's
[b]Appearance:[/b] Of average height. Wears baggy clothes that conceal a slim but muscular stature. Face is always clean-shaven, and hair is always carefully cropped, worn short and black and just barely peeking out from under the captain hat he nearly always wears.
[b]Personality:[/b] Not quite what you?d expect for an average pirate captain. Actually Flint?s rather soft-spoken, but holds unquestionable power over his men. If he ever needs to raise his voice, his eyes become terrible and angry and something about him can cause even those bigger than him to be afraid. His actions are very deliberate and he prefers to think extensively before making a move, though he can also be fast on his feet in dangerous situations. He is ruthlessly cruel to his enemies.

[b]Biography:[/b] The Flints have been at the head of the Caballeros for generations, and the band and the family are originally from Spain. Flint?s great-grandfather founded the band of pirates nearly spontaneously upon hearing of an incoming shipload of gold into the port city where he lived. The pirates were successful in that raid, and in several others throughout his great-grandfather?s life. The pirating tradition was continued in Spain until Flint?s father moved to America with the majority of the men, who were willing to shift across the ocean in their loyalty to the Flint name. Though it didn?t matter too much; they knew they?d be back, since the life of a pirate is a wandering one.

After traveling down the coast for some time looking for a good city for a ?home base,? Flint Sr. happened upon Galveston, a small port city in desperate need of income. It was the perfect place, all the more so because the Desperados were currently out of town. By the time they returned two months later, the Caballeros were already established as accepted outlaws and Flint Sr. was already in love, with a young waitress at the local inn.

The Desperados were none too happy to find the Caballeros so well-settled in upon their return a couple of months later, but the two groups tacitly agreed to keep their fighting out of the streets. They were both technically outlaws, after all, and in their own way, they worked together, though rivalry occasionally rose up outside the city limits.

Flint Sr.?s wife unfortunately died in childbirth, but not before giving Flint to the world of pirating. Unsurprisingly, Flint Sr. raised his child to be the leader of the Caballeros like the generations of sons before him, and Flint positively loved his upbringing. He grew up on ships with stashes of gold and could wield a sword at the age of six. All of the other pirates loved having a child on board and he was affectionately called ?Baby Flint? until he was twelve, when he calmly informed the company he would personally slit the throat of the next person to call him that. The nickname died rather quickly.

Flint could captain the ship by the time he was sixteen, and at eighteen helped his father steer through one of the most difficult storms the Caballeros had encountered since they moved to America. He was excellent with a sword and fairly good with a pistol. At twenty-four, his dad let him take the lead in the hijacking of a ship for the first time and he accomplished himself amazingly.

At twenty-six, unfortunately, his father died from a stray bullet, passing the duties of the Caballeros leadership on to Flint.

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=maroon]Heh, terra, that thing about infamy and prestige made me laugh. You nut. Right, so this took longer than it should have, but I like to blame class for all my troubles. So there you have it.

[b]Name:[/b] Finn

[b]Goes by:[/b] ?Finn

[b]Age:[/b] 29, or so he says

[b]Appearance:[/b] Taller than average, but not exceptionally so. Lean, slender body type, toned from countless hours of riding, fighting, and training. He moves with a surprising sort of grace that one wouldn?t expect; incredibly agile. His skin is naturally tan, due to his ancestral background, and his hair is thick and dark. It?s a tad curly and he wears it just to his chin, though his trademark cowboy hat usually covers it up.

[b]Personality:[/b] Finn is usually a very calm, laid back guy, which can often be mistaken for idleness by those who don?t know him. However, he is anything but lazy? he just likes to do things his own way. For the most part, all jobs assigned to the Desperados, and thus to him, are done quickly and efficiently, unless of course he feels like being an ass. He?s got a dry sense of humor and is usually pretty friendly, especially within the Desperados. But beneath that he?s got a ruthless streak a mile wide and no tolerance for cheaters, double-crossers, back-stabbers, and overall dishonesty.

[b]Biography:[/b] The Desperados have always been led by one of Finn?s line; Spanish blood. Forty years ago an ancestor left Spain with some of his close friends and a bounty on his head and fled to America, land of the free, where the rowdy band of outlaws began terrorizing the port town of Galveston. Finn?s great grandfather, whom had left Spain for unknown reasons, took over the Desperados two years after, and made a deal with the mayor of the town. Thus, the Desperados now had a hometown to work from, and a safe haven to retreat to, just in case.

Finn?s father took up the lead twelve years later, and established the Desperados beyond the port town, earning them great riches. It was also in this time, however, that a group of pirates known as the Caballeros also established themselves in Galveston. Two months later, the Desperados returned home to find the Caballeros, and despite much warring between the two, neither group of outlaws would budge. And so an agreement was made, albeit a reluctant one, and the two groups began to ?work together? for the good of Galveston.

Somewhere at the start of his leadership, Finn Sr. met and married a Native American woman who?d been posing as one of Spanish decent. A few months later Finn was born (you do the math), and spent his childhood watching the escapades of his father and the Desperados. He learned quickly through observation, and nearly scared his mother to death one evening when he jumped out of nowhere and began attacking their cat with his own imaginary sword. His father saw much promise in him and began the training, sometimes taking him with the gang whenever it wasn?t too dangerous to do so. As he grew he was a favorite of the Desperados because of his wild ideas and charming antics. By the time he was fifteen he was a regular in the group, and at nineteen was second only to his father when it came to riding. He became quite handy with a dagger and his draw was quick.

Slowly Finn Sr. began relinquishing his control to his son. He was still happily married and very wealthy, and had a couple daughters he missed sorely. Finn, however, loved riding with the Desperados, and when Finn Sr. officially retired, he was more than ready to take the reins. At 24 his aim had only improved, his skill with his daggers was notorious, and the whip he now carried had definitely seen it?s share of skirmishes. His leadership was accepted readily within the Desperados, and the group has continued to grow in infamy and prestige throughout Texas since then. [/color][/size]

[terra]

The Quest has begun in the Adventure Arena. And, it was my 500th post, how sweet :).

Go post -- and fight to the death!!! I mean ... fight. I mean ... go on a quest. ... Oh, you know.