Character Sheet: Mr. Pearse

Name: Liam Pearse

Gender: Male

Age: 43

Occupation: Rancher/Town Benefactor

Description: Mr. Liam Pearse is a man whose every article and expression suggests a reputation well-regarded and well-earned. His gray-flecked red hair and emerald gaze betray his Irish ancestry, as does his soft and lilting manner of speech. Mr. Pearse’s features—handsome, once—have fallen victim to the trials of time and a life hard lived. His skin is dark for an Irishman, and cracked and wrinkled from many years in the sun. His left brow bears a scar that runs vertically down most of his cheekbone. As a result, his left eye is milky and distant, drawing sharp contrast to the charming twinkle of his remaining good one. When Mr. Pearse smiles, the rigors of age seem to wash away, revealing a quick-witted Irishman eager to hear the latest joke or entertaining tale. He is most at home among other people, and is a skilled socialite who follows in the best traditions of a Victorian-era gentleman.

Standing an unremarkable 5’10, Mr. Pearse is most often found in a pristinely pressed black jacket with a fine cotton undershirt. He occasionally dons a black, wide-brimmed hat when touring his ranch. He does not wear a holster, and openly admits that his gun fighting days are far behind him. Nevertheless, it is possible to spy the outlines of two pistols within the interior pockets of his coat.

Mr. Pearse shows a level of physical fitness unusual for his age. Despite his strength, Mr. Pearse’s movement is slowed thanks to an old war wound afflicting his left leg. Because of this, he is never seen far from his long, ebony-plated cane that he discards in only the direst emergencies.

Bio: Born in 1831 to two first-generation Irish immigrants in the deep, green-leafed valleys of Virginia, Mr. Pearse was the first of three sons. Inheriting an Irishman’s love of land and fierce independent streak, he took easily to the arts of sharpshooting, hunting, and fishing that preoccupied youth in backwoods Virginia. He took less easily to learning, and quickly quit the schoolhouse to help tend the modest Pearse clan’s acres.

When the Mexican-American War broke out in 1846, Mr. Pearse snuck into enlistment at the age of 15. He was honorably discharged in 1848, and returned to the valleys of Virginia a changed youth. Taking passionately to schooling, particularly history, culture, and law, Mr. Pearse became a self-taught attorney, rising to prominence in the Virginia State Legislature by the late 1850s. He married, but fathered no children. With the beginning salvos of the Civil War in 1861, Mr. Pearse eagerly reenlisted, eventually rising to the post of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee.

In the year 1865, with the final defeat of the Army of North Virginia at the Battle of Five Forks and subsequent route from Petersburg, Mr. Pearse abruptly disappeared. Meanwhile, the ragged battalion under his command—holding a key flank in the Army of Northern Virginia’s formation—were slaughtered nearly to a man. Mr. Pearse’s two younger brothers disappeared a short time later, their parents having long since passed away. Mr. Pearse’s young wife was left to fend for herself, and died soon thereafter.

The rest of Mr. Pearse’s life is a mystery. The three Pearse brothers were spotted throughout the West in the years following the Civil War, delving deep into America’s Western criminal empire and wielding a seemingly bottomless money chest. Perhaps due to their growing notoriety, both younger Pearse siblings were dead by 1870. Mr. Pearse disappeared once more, resurfacing a few months later to buy a large plot of land in the New Mexico territory. He established a thriving cattle ranch—remarkably devoid of competitors—and brought an economic boom to towns across the region.

By the year 1874, Mr. Pearse has become a veritable Gentleman of the West, part businessman, part philanthropist, and much loved by townsfolk across the New Mexico territory.

Combat Ability: Although rarely witnessed, rumors still exist of Mr. Pearse’s legendary gun fighting skills. While his body has slowed since his Confederate service, he possesses a kind of battle intuition which makes ambushing or surprising him extraordinarily difficult. Likewise, his skill with every aspect of the pistol and rifle make it extremely difficult to defeat him in a straight duel. He is only truly vulnerable at close range, where the age of his body makes it hard to defeat a determined melee assailant. The trick, of course, is getting that close in the first place.

Affinity: Magic. Mr. Pearse’s luck and powers of perception, always extraordinary, will only grow more evident as New Mexico Territory begins its uncanny transformation. He will learn how to shape the world around him, and – due to his long lasting awareness of others – to bend others’ minds to his own command. However, as these powers evolve, artifacts of high technology will be rendered useless in his grasp, eventually crumbling at his very touch.

I'm intrigued by what would cause such a sudden shift in behavior. From farm boy to soldier to criminal? And where did all the money come from? Obvious questions for me to ask, but intriguing nonetheless.

Thanks! I was satisfied with the way the bio turned out. The reader is given a fairly straightforward reckoning of events, yet certain key moments that might fall between these events are somehow omitted. Although his basic backstory is bared for the world to see, the character of Mr. Pearse himself could still go anywhere - even places I haven't thought of yet.

Also, Mr. Pearse's final shift (from the previous states of farmer and soldier) may be considered more than outlaw. The scope of his ambition may grow to encompass something beyond that of cash and border town hegemony. He is an outlaw in that he has moved beyond the scope of law, but as to the framers of those laws - men themselves - Mr. Pearse couldn't remain more invested.

He'll be a fun character to play, regardless.